Must Be Dreaming
by TheRaven'sDesk
Summary: Hermione never imagined herself being transported to a world where a smiling Cheshire cat appeared from thin air and a certain Queen enjoyed beheadings. She could also not comprehend why the familiar blonde was there as well. Set right before Bill and Fleur's wedding, follow Hermione as she desperately tries to escape the land known as Wonderland with both her head and her sanity.
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: If it were mine, I'd be filthy rich_

Just wanted to try it. Inspiration from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, WCMI, Syfy's Alice, Mirrormask…and Frou Frou. Will most likely be edited for inconsistencies or mistakes.

* * *

It was a quiet morning in the little suburb where Hermione Granger lived. The trees were green and the lawns were well kept. Her room was stocked with numerous books ranging from literature to books on potions and the history of the magical world. It was normal that during the summer vacations she would read when not vacationing with her parents. Today, however, she was standing in front of her window, a dismal look on her face. It was as if she were expecting a long and arduous journey ahead of her, one that she wanted to go on but on the other hand feared.

A small hand bag lay on her desk, the only thing on there that did not belong. She would often look at it while biting her lip. After having looked at the bag, she would look at the red dress hung in her closet, ready to be worn. There was a certain feeling at the pit of her stomach like the one you get before riding a rollercoaster. Excitement and fear all rolled up into one gut-wrenching emotion.

The only noises in the house were of a leaky faucet which dripped endlessly and of the wood floor creaking under her shifting feet. Her parents' room was a disarray with the bed unmade and the closet empty. Hermione had already emptied out and disconnected the fridge and almost everything else that was left to disconnect. The water and gas would be cut off that evening and the phone in the morning. All that was left to do was to pack the dress and floo to the Weasley's house. It was a much easier task than modifying her parent's memory, but still she hesitated.

She felt as if jumping into an icy pool while still dry; every moment just another attempt at postponing her jump. Once decided, she grabbed her dress, stuffed it into the handbag, grabbed the hiding Crookshanks, raced downstairs to the fireplace and prepared the fire with the last of her floo powder.

* * *

Hermione looked at herself in the mirror and couldn't help but smile. Her hair was soft and curled, much more tamed than normally. Ginny was in her mother's room getting ready and Hermione was left by herself to get ready. She sat on the bed and slid on her matching heels. It was a moment before she got up again and she went to sit in front of the window. It felt unpleasant to have such a melancholic feeling on a wedding day. The tent outside was set up and an array of people was arriving. With a sigh, she stood and walked towards the door. As she did so, she stepped on something hard and with quick maneuvering, she was able to evade falling.

Hermione looked down to see what it was and found the hard object to be a book. She went to pick it up and read the title: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. The book was required reading for muggle studies and Hermione was annoyed at Ginny's treatment of it. She picked it up and dusted it, only to have the dust reach her nose. As soon as it did, she was in a fit of sneezing.

"Hermione, you okay?" It was Ginny who looked just as stunning as ever.

"Uh…yeah. Is it almost starting?" Hermione rubbed her nose thoroughly.

" I think in about ten minutes it is. You ready?"

"Yes, I'll go down with you."

Hermione walked down with her and made her way towards the tent. The land around the Burrow was as green as ever and it was an exhilarating sight to see. Ginny left to help her mother and Hermione was left to find her place. It was then that something very white caught her eye. It was at the entrance to the small thicket next to the house and so as not to alert anyone, she carefully and quietly withdrew her wand and walked towards it.

It was rather long in size and hardly moving. It could have been anything but Hermione just wanted to be sure. Once a few feet from it she saw it was a very fat white rabbit. She exhaled and made to turn when she spotted something shiny on the grass. It was a large pocket watch and as she went to touch it, she felt the immediate sensation of falling. Everything around her blurred as she saw strange objects on her way down but it was all just too obscured to make out. It wasn't until some time that she finally crashed into the floor. _I've done it this time_, was her last thought before everything went black.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own anything whatsoever.

Many thanks to you, TheFlyingCat for your review! Very grateful indeed. If anyone wishes to make any comments in the direction of this story, please, feel free to. I will take them into deep consideration.

* * *

It is a very curious thing to lose track of time. It is there one moment, then it is lost and finally you find it. You never really know were it went to, just that it wasn't there and you did not feel it. So when Hermione Granger felt the cool morning air and the goose bumps that were produced from the feel of it, she immediately felt as if she were home, with the fan on full blast. As was typical, she turned to her side (her most comfortable and preferred sleeping position), and kept her eyes closed so as to postpone the start of the day a little longer.

Were it not for the splitting headache that kept growing, she might have fallen asleep for at least a couple minutes more. If her bed were not as hard as it was (or prickly) she might have finished her dream. It was a quaint dream, just about a white rabbit but it would have been less frustrating if she were able to finish it. It seemed that her headache, however, was becoming more and more painful by the minute and as her eyes fluttered open, it was apparent that she was not in her room. The morning sun blinded her for a minute or two but as she tried to sit up everything around her made a complete flip. She held her head for some form of comfort and found it soon after that. With great caution, she was able to kneel, stand up and survey her surroundings.

It was now even more clear that she had not been sleeping in her room but on a patch of grass, a very green and uncomfortable patch of grass. Hermione surveyed the land around her and determined that the Burrow must have been transformed to look like one of the top one hundred natural wonders of the world. Her breathing became erratic as she gazed upon the ocean, sun in full rise. Her heart skipped a beat of both fear and euphoria. The sight was one that could only be felt and seen, nothing that can really be described. As she glanced around, it seemed that the land cut off abruptly and it was true, for if she had taken a couple steps forward, she would have surely fallen to her death. Her location was atop a very steep but beautiful cliff.

Once her location had completely registered in her mind, she quickly took as many steps backwards as she could however, it seemed that something was in her way. Her head turned cautiously to see a giant tree and many more. For a few moments, it seemed that she was attempting to calm herself down. In many instances in the past, she had faced great perils by Harry's side but at this instance, being completely alone and disoriented, it was more than expected that she be overwhelmed. Hermione quickly came to realization and searched her pockets for her wand. It was very obvious from just touching her sides that she had no pockets, and no pants on for that matter. What she did have on was a very nice and elegant dress. She searched the inside lining, were she had her wand previously, and suddenly remembered the events of the day. The wedding, the rabbit and the pocket watch. She searched her surroundings and started to feel around the grass to see if any strange form of object was lying obscured in the grass. The first to be found was the pocket watch, which obviously, was no use to her. Then came her wand which, unfortunately, seemed to be broken just a tad at the end.

"No, no, no." Hermione's very perfectionist ways were always criticized by those around her. There were always questions like "why in the world are your books always like new…do you ever read them?" _Of course!_ she would always answer. Or "why do you carry your wand in a case?" _In case it gets broken in my bag or I fall and land on it._ It seemed all her precautions were of no use to her now.

It was obvious to her that the only way of getting a solid answer out of anyone (and getting her wand fixed immediately) was to venture into the thick forest as ominous as it might have seemed. Once inside, it seemed like the worst decision ever executed by man. It was dark and her legs, which where bare, were all scratched from low lying shrubbery and her heels, which were considered a safe height by the saleswoman, kept her from properly walking a straight line.

"Anyone out there?" she shouted. It might not have been the best approach to it, but at this moment it was the only one she had. "I could have ignored the stupid rabbit, but no-" she sat down on a fallen tree trunk to rest her feet and to examine her wand a little closer. "I had to make sure." Hermione's attempts at transforming her shoes were futile for the only thing her wand would do was to send sparks in every direction. She groaned and took the pocket watch from inside her brassiere (something she did not do regularly but seeing as there was a lack of storage on her person it was the most secure place to put it).

There was some light appearing and as she squinted, she saw that the watch was stopped. _Very convenient, _she thought,_ what else could go bloody wrong?_

"Lots of things, my dear, lots of things." The hairs at the back of Hermione's neck stood up and for fear of the unknown she kept her eyes on the watch. The voice was frightening and it seemed to have come from all directions. _Just your paranoia, ignore it and it'll go away…_It was silent for some time and Hermione took it to be her imagination.

"Nope, you're hearing me alright."

"What do you want from me!" Hermione cowered under her arms but it seemed that her fear took over and she took to shaking.

The voice suddenly burst into cackling, a sound that could give anybody chills. "Calm down, my little human friend." The voice sounded as if it were in front of her and she dared but look up. "Nothing to be afraid of, just your average, loveable cat." And indeed it was. Well, a cat at least. It was nowhere near average, since its coat was of strange purples and it seemed to be…grinning.

"A-a Cheshire cat?" she asked out loud.

"Very good, typically they say Persian," it responded. It was a very big cat, with unusually large paws and a very long coat. Its eyes were a deep shade of green and it had a very strange and curious aura. The voice also seemed to have an ominous echo to it which was still reverberating in her ears.

"Were am I?" The Cheshire cat stared at her blankly before encircling her.

"You'll know that pretty soon…what I want to know is why you are here?"

Hermione considered her predicament and was at the conclusion that the watch might have been some type of portkey.

"It might have been meant for Harry. I- I need to go back." She made to stand but was stopped in her tracks by the cat.

"I wouldn't rush off too soon…there are a few _things_ I should warn you about. Like for example-"

"If this is Wonderland then I know how it all goes. The Queen of Hearts, the trial, the cards…it's all predictable and frustrating…what I need is a better and faster way out of here, not just simply to wake up as Alice did. It might be too late if it happens like that…" Hermione's mind raced as she thought of a complicated plan to kidnap Harry or of an attack on the Burrow.

"Well, little miss know it all, there are _other_ things in Wonderland that I should warn you about. You know, nothing stays the same forever, especially not places. Or its people for that matter." The Cheshire cat slowly disappeared while his grin remained.

"Where in the world am I suppose to go…as I clearly remember you helped Alice!" She stood up, hating the idea of being left alone in such a dilemma.

"Tell me, then, in what direction did I point her out to?" the smile began to spin in midair.

"Oh no, not that ridiculous tea party?"

"Follow the path, Ms. Granger, and you'll get quite a surprise, and try not to lose your head." And with that said, the smile disappeared.

"I never liked these books anyways." It was in defeat that she said this and for awhile, she searched for a path and as if by magic, a cobblestone trail appeared to her right. She started on it very cautiously and in a moment of desperation, took her shoes off. It was a half hour before the forest began to clear and another hour before it that it was just tall grass and wildflowers.

The day would have been a nice and pleasant one had it not all of a sudden become so overcast and windy. A couple drops of rain had hit her by now and she wrapped her arms around herself to keep as warm as possible. Hermione knew that it wasn't the brightest idea to stand under a tree but it would have been that or being drenched by the oncoming rain. As she stood under the nearest tree, shoes in hand and wand and watch safely stored, she came to the conclusion that she must have been dreaming. Of course, she felt otherwise, but to keep from bursting into frustrating tears she reassured herself that she was still sleeping somewhere, on a nice comfortable bed and that there was no danger at the Burrow.

As her breathing became distressed, she looked to all places and felt her heart skip. There, on the side of the path, was a nicely lit blue house. It had a white picket fence and there seemed to be many Christmas lights wrapped around the house, the trees and the fence as well. They were all visible because the weather had become worse than what it had been. It seemed as if it were night and as she rushed to the house it began to pour. She was soaked once out from under the tree and struggled to open the fence but seeing as it was jammed, she carefully hopped over it.

Hermione slipped once on the grass but made it safely under the porch. She stood under there for quite some time and knew that it was truly a madman's house. There were jars full of buttons and threads and one with an array of beads. There were a hundred, some stacked, some empty and others black. When she looked up, hundreds of keys tied to strings were hung from the ceiling, clanging as the wind blew. She went to knock on the door and seeing it closed, decided to open it. Once inside, the warmth of the house enclosed her body and she could not help but to relax just a little.

The inside of the house, as opposed to the outside, was kept very clean and organized. There was furniture that did not match but was necessary and in a way, added to the warmth of the house. The hearth was immaculate, as was the dust-free furniture and mirrors. There may have been as many mirrors hung on the walls as there were jars outside but everything else seemed normal. She took a glance at one of the mirrors and regretted doing so. Her hair was beginning to frizz up and the mascara that Ginny found necessary to wear was streaked along her face. She quickly removed as much of the dark substance from her face and left her hair be. Hermione wasn't much into caring about looks during dilemmas and so decided to let the fact that she looked like a slob go.

As she ventured into the kitchen towards the back it seemed as if there were different collections in every part of the house, this room being home to teapots. What was curious was that the teapots were neatly placed, not hoarded, into the room. The stove was spotless and there was not a single trace of food or spills on the tile floor.

She looked towards the screen door and saw a large gazebo with lanterns hung around it. There was a large table covered in white and many plates set up with pastries and multiple teapots. Hermione felt excited to meet these iconic literature characters and also annoyed. Alice had had not a single word of sanity given to her by these characters especially, and it was only obvious that they would waste Hermione's time as well. Seeing as there was no other solution but to deal with these characters, she mustered all her bravery (and sanity) to open the screen door.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I wish it were mine, but it's not.

"Have some wine," the March Hare said in an encouraging tone.

Alice looked all round the table, but there was nothing on it but tea. "I don't see any wine," she remarked.

"There isn't any," said the March Hare.

"Then it wasn't very civil of you to offer it," said Alice angrily.

"It wasn't very civil of you to sit down without being invited," said the March Hare.

-Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

* * *

The quaint and pretty dwelling that housed these familiar characters was built so that there was a pleasant wooden deck in the back. It had stopped raining and again, as if by magic, the weather changed abruptly. The sun was warm but there was still a slight breeze that was both mild and comforting which made the clouds slowly dissipate. Hermione was still soaked, barefoot and tired-very tired. With high heels still in hand, she went down the small wooden steps and nearer to the gazebo. From this level, she could see that there was also a beautiful garden surrounding the yard, all bushes pristinely trimmed and many flowers in full bloom. It might have been the perfect gathering of friends or relatives.

Her feet met the soft grass and she lowered her head to get a better look at the individuals under the appealing scene. There was the dormouse, fast asleep and on top of the butter for that matter. A giant march hare was also present, dressed to impress. Whom Alice could not see was the famous Hatter, whom she thought rather interesting and annoying as well. It seemed that he was sitting in the large chair with an even larger backrest. This was the only chair turned against her and as she came mere feet from the table, the March Hare jumped.

"Hatter! A girl!" He pointed a long finger towards her. "She seems to be territorial."

It made to leave but the Hatter yelled in a very fierce tone "Well you PLEASE calm down! How in the world did I end up with two NITWITS as yourselves?"

To which the March Hare sighed and responded, "Lucky I s'pose."

The Hatter's chair began to recede from the table and from it stood a tall and well built man, clothed in classic, albeit, slightly mismatched, Victorian attire. His top hat was clean from any filth and slightly cocked to one side. His coat, on the other hand, was a shade of the darkest green and slightly wrinkled. Under that, a solid dark purple shirt and a pinstriped black vest. His pants, slightly muddy at the hems, were black and plain. He wore white gloves but despite his quizzical appeal, what took Hermione's breath away was that she knew this young man, his icy grey eyes, his pale face and even fairer hair. It seemed that at the sight of Hermione, his face grew even more faint.

She dropped her shoes and approached him. Once inches from his face she spoke the only thing that came to mind. "Draco Malfoy?"

His breathing steepened. "Granger?" With all the power that was left in her, she swung at his face and sent him crashing into the teapots.

"I told you Hatter, she's territorial!" The March Hare had made to leave, taking the now alert dormouse with him.

"How could you do it, you sick idiot!" With some strength she seemed to have hidden, she grabbed him by the collar, turned her hand into a fist and struck him square in the nose. By this time, the top hat had already fallen to the floor and he grabbed unto the side of a chair while holding his nose. A steady stream of red blood dripped from under the hand he had placed at his nose.

"You let them in, why did you do that?" she asked, almost knowing it was futile to ask. Hermione felt a huge knot forming at the base of her throat and quickly wiped the tears away. After much time, Malfoy spoke.

"You wouldn't understand, none of you ever do." He was still bleeding profusely from his nose and the redness of the blood contrasted greatly with the paleness of his skin. After much time in silence, she figured it was futile to argue about something that she could not change and so put her anger aside for the sake of departing from this nightmare.

"How the hell did you end up here anyways?" her voice was still full of hurt and the knot had not disappeared from her throat completely.

"Why should you care?" he responded coldly. He bent down to pick up his top hat and proceeded into the house. Hermione picked up her shoes and followed him.

"I need to get out of here, that's why. Seeing as you lack the ability to help anyone from a sick child in Africa to myself, and also that the stupid cat directed me to you, I doubt that you will do such a noble thing as to help me."

He turned to face her and as pathetic as he looked with blood now drying on his face, he still could pull off a intimidating sneer. Malfoy rolled his eyes and opened the screen door, motioning for her to get in. Hermione knew that it was the only thing she could do to escape from here. She rushed past him and into the kitchen, were he motioned for her to sit. He put a kettle on the fire and left to go upstairs, most likely for the lavatory, were he cleaned himself off and, she assumed, fixed his nose.

He came back out with a slight pink tinge to his nose, but otherwise normal. He prepared two teacups with teabags and water, then set one down in front of Hermione and sat down opposite her, teacup in hand. Hermione had not seen Draco since before the days of the attack. Currently, he seemed in much better health. The tenseness that he had presented during the last school year was gone and his hair was not as messy as he had had it. He removed his gloves with such finesse that it was already too embarrassing to even start on her tea.

He went to put sugar into his teacup but as the bowl was empty, he stood to refill it.

"I'm not sorry I hurt your nose."

"No," he said, back turned to her, "you're not sorry you _broke_ my nose. I'm sorry I thought I'd never see your muggleborn face again."

Draco came back, sat down and stirred in the sugar cubes.

"It almost seems as if you want to have a civil conversation for once." He completely ignored this. "Once again, how did you end up here." It was more of a demand than anything.

He stared at her frustrated and hesitant. "Right after the…uh…the attack on Hogwarts. I was flying away and all of a sudden, my broom failed me and I fell, landed here and have been appointed as 'Royal Hatter'. I've been here for a little over a month, have made about fifty or so hats and have been stuck with two of the messiest animals ever and who, by the way, every day at eight in the morning, pound on my door, swear it is six o'clock and time for tea. Satisfied?" Malfoy stood up abruptly, causing Hermione to jump in alert to which he ignored entirely, and went to hang up his coat. As he sat back down, she asked, "Have you even tried to get out of here?"

He hesitated slightly but then responded "Of course not, _Granger, _I enjoy dealing with these idiots every single day, wearing clothes that for one, don't match and second, don't respond to any kind of ironing. I had to clean this whole house because the previous owner seemed to be a chronic hoarder and I love the idea that I have no servants to help in any way possible, , especially to clean up outside after every single day when my two best friends leave…"

He took a sip of his tea and sat back in his chair. "And now it seems that I have to help you in some way that I myself don't even know how. Peachy, isn't it?"

It wasn't easy for Hermione to ignore the sarcasm dripping from his mouth, nor the fact that he was looking at her as if she were stupid. The tea in front of her looked ready to drink but she wasn't taking any risk on it.

"And the fact that you're the traitor that everyone is trying to get their hands on has nothing to do with your wish to return home, right?"

It seemed as if she had pressed the wrong button. He leaned in closer to her and seemed that his anger was boiling up inside. "Don't tell me what I am or am not, you mind your own God forsaken business and I'll try to help you only because my conscious will be at peace if I do succeed in returning you to your precious _Potter_."

"I'm glad we got that out of the way" she said rather monotonous, "now, do you still have your wand?" He was slightly taken back by the boredom and lack of reproof in her voice. He once again sat back, put his hand in his pocket and took out a cigarette. Hermione had expected to see him retract his wand out and scowled when he lit the cigarette right in front of her.

"You know, not only is it rude to smoke in front of somebody, it's also disgusting and you'll start to stink." She coughed when he blew a bit of smoke her way (most likely on purpose.) "I thought it was a muggle thing anyway."

To which he smiled a pleasant but forced smile. "And I thought you were going to say it was bad for my health." His smile turned into a deep sneer. "It seems this world doesn't provide any kind of liquor…I took it up seeing as it calms the nerves. You should take it up sometime."

Hermione smiled sweetly. "I'm fine thank you." Then rolled her eyes annoyingly. She reached into the side of her dress, still damp, and took out her own wand, the loose end swaying as she did. "I need to fix mine." She handed it to him, and he shook his head and looked at her incredulously.

"Leave it to you to damage the one thing that is necessary in surviving this world." He said all of this with his cigarette in mouth. He exhaled, then said, "Come on then." He stood to leave, her wand still in hand, and seeing her hesitation, assured her with, "The only thing you'll fear in this house is that stupid dormouse, maybe the heater thing, it makes a horrible noise when using the hot water."

"Right, well, as I have clearly shown, I can clearly beat you any day."_ He's had it twice_, she thought, remembering their row in third year. He put out the cigarette in an ash tray nearby.

"Interesting. Now, you can come with me or you can stay here while I go upstairs and get my wand. From the looks of it, you could use a shower and maybe even a change of wear, it would really be more than necessary that you come upstairs."

She stood and as she walked past him towards the stairs, she remarked, " And that coming from a person that smells of smoke."

"Yes, if I cared enough for your words, I'd be dreadfully ashamed-but I'm not."


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the love in my heart and the heart that I love.

Poor Draco, Hermione can be a bully, I know…anyways…thanks to all that have taken the time to read and review, very grateful.

There are many things that Hermione loved in this life. Books for one. Organization and punctuality as well but the most important was cleanliness. Cleanliness, of course, was not just vacuuming the rug, putting the books away and dusting a little. Her idea of cleanliness (most likely the standard of cleanliness) was vacuuming the rug, then lifting it and mopping under it, dusting each and every book, scrubbing the tub and toilet and above all, clean sheets. So it was quiet a surprise to her that Draco Malfoy, someone she hardly really knew at all, kept the house he lived in pristine. The wood floor was polished, his bed was neatly made, his books were not only organized alphabetically but also free from any kind of imperfection and dust and his large window was not only clean from the inside but the outside as well.

"Try to refrain from touching anything, will you. You've already done enough with dripping all over the living room." He had gone to his dresser and began to search through the first drawer. From her position at the door, Hermione could still see that the drawers were all filled with neatly folded articles of clothing and from the drawer, he pulled out his wand, covered in a silk handkerchief. He carefully unwrapped the wand and pointed it at her own, which he still held in his other hand. "Reparo." Hermione exhaled as the tip of her wand mended with the rest of its entity. "Good as new." Draco handed it straight to her. She took it hastily and was hesitant when she said "Thank-you."

"Here," he said, leading her to the room just across from the hallway. There, she saw many things hung upon the wall. Once she inspected their contents, she realized that they were all framed dried flowers. The varieties were from birds of paradise, lavender, hydrangeas and many more that she could not identify. It seemed that the whole hall had a certain flowery smell that was as comforting as a summer breeze.

He had led her to another bedroom, more quaint than his own. It had a white metal bed in the center and the walls were covered with floral wallpaper. He went to the closet, and from it, took out fresh linen and a large, floral comforter. It was placed neatly at the foot of the bed. He had also taken out a clean towel from the same closet.

"The bathroom is over here," Draco handed her the towel and went to the only other door left inside the room. "Pull the lever down for a bath, up for a shower. The knob starts out left for cold then goes right for hot."

"Wait, are you going to help me or were you just planning on having me as a house guest?"

He looked at her in disbelief. "Firstly, I've already told you that I don't know how in the world to get you or myself out of this place and secondly, you look like hell. It won't take the filth out of your blood, of course, but it'll help."

"You're vile," she said with as much loathing in her voice as she could.

Draco Malfoy smirked and as he left the room, stopped beside her and said, "I know." He closed the door softly and she heard his footsteps go down the stairs. She went to the door and locked it, then proceeded into the shower, where, when undressing, was startled as the pocket watch fell from her chest and made an awful clang on the tile floor.

The bathroom was immaculate, as was the rest of the house, and it felt as if she were back home, in her own clean one. She had never seen such a clean person as her self, not even at Hogwarts. Of course she had only lived with the Gryffindors but looking back at her years in class with the rest of the students, Draco Malfoy had been quite neat and organized. Hermione had never really cared back then and she would never have imagined herself being in such a mess and needing the help of the same boy that had always tormented them. Not to mention the same boy that was the root mastermind behind the attack on Hogwarts.

The knot at the base of her throat appeared again, however, she would not let herself cry, _not for him. _Hermione thought of the first thing that came to mind to forget of the incident and it was her cat. She groaned when she remembered that Crookshanks, however loveable and sweet he seemed to be, was not the easiest cat to take care of and she had pampered him a bit too much. Her thoughts were full of memories with the cat and as she wrapped the towel around herself, she picked up her dirty laundry and made sure that the bathroom was left as clean as it had first been.

The most obvious thing about surprises is that they are never expected. The second thing is that they are either a great surprise or a really, really bad one. Moderate surprises can hardly count. So when Hermione exited the bathroom and back into the bedroom, it was quite a horrible surprise to see the door wide open and a giant March Hare inside the room (dormouse on his shoulder) and with a very large cane in his hand.

"Get OUT!" she yelled. Nobody had ever seen Hermione so scantily clad, much less naked.

"You leave the Hatter alone, he's a good man he is!" he went to whack her and missed as she ducked. "WE don't need your kind here!" he had missed again as she backed into a corner.

Hermione tried as hard as she could to keep the towel on and searched the room for something to throw. She found nothing but her high heels on the other side of the room and opted for hiding in the bathroom. The thing was that the door opened outwards and as she reached for the door knob, the March Hare hit the door and sent her cowering back.

"I said GET OUT!" She had sworn that she had locked the door, but the thought was interrupted as he tried to hit her again. Her wand was on the bed and with quick maneuvering, she jumped over it and had it in her hand. "Stupefy!"

The March Hare seemed immune to the magic and only proceeded to hit anywhere near her.

"MARCH!" It was Draco Malfoy that had yelled this time and as he saw Hermione he turned his back to her. "What did I tell you about locked DOORS?"

The Hare eyed Hermione then said defeatedly, "If it's locked, leave it locked."

"What _else_?"

He sighed, then answered, "If it is locked, it's locked for a reason…don't pick at a lock unless asked to." The Hare lowered the cane and gave Hermione a very unpleasant stare. She swore that the little dormouse at his shoulder stuck its miniature tongue out at her.

"Leave, March."

"We're watching you." Then, with the dormouse still at his shoulder, he left.

"A little thing about this world," Draco was still facing away from her as he spoke. "You can't use magic on the inhabitants, just the objects around them."

Hermione was crouched behind the bed and when she could hear Draco fight to keep from bursting into laughter, she yelled once more "Get OUT!"

He turned to look at her. "Please, don't disgust me with the idea of even _wanting_ to see you…" to which he snorted and laughed as she had never heard him before. He exited the room and she could still hear him as he went down the stairs. "Moron," she yelled after him. Hermione locked the door and placed the chair by the window on the door so that it might buy her time in the case of another intrusion.

With the intention of dressing quickly, she grabbed her clothes and returned to the bathroom. Inside, she used a cleaning charm on her dirty garments and from there proceeded to transfigure them into more comfortable attire. This feat, however, turned out much more difficult than how she imagined. Her red formal dress turned into a large Victorian gown, complete with its own bustle and all. She made several more futile attempts at turning the gown into a pair of comfortable jeans and a shirt but they were all in vain. The only thing she could change was the color and texture, which she turned into a shade of grey muslin.

It was strange to wear such heavy garments on her rear, and the neck of the garment felt horrible and slightly hindered her ability to move her head comfortably. It was only obvious that the high heels be transformed into Victorian boots, and it was true, but with a little alteration, Hermione was able to make them as flat as possible. The heel was more of a gentlemen's but she was not complaining; it was a wonderful place to hide her wand.

Her stomach growled horribly and she remembered that she had had a light breakfast that morning. She hesitated at the thought of seeing Malfoy's arrogant face again for fear of further embarrassment, but she relied on the thought of not caring for his stupid and idiotic words. The chair stationed at the door was cautiously removed and with great care, she descended the stairs. As she saw herself in the mirror, it was easy to see that she would get a laugh out of anybody, had they seen her in such attire.

It was really easy to find food in the kitchen; most of it was neatly organized in the cupboard, with a small selection of perishable goods in an antique style cooler. With much speed she was able to make a small sandwich of jam and cleaned after herself so as not to call attention of Malfoy. She exited to the back through the screen door and surveyed the gazebo a little closer. The treats were all still there but there was no one enjoying them. It was to the right of the house that had called the most of her attention. It seemed that there was a small stall for what seemed a horse or two and a smaller guest house or office a little farther from it. With food parcel still in hand, she first went to the stall, which did house a rather large German horse. As she went to stroke it, the larger than normal horse neighed powerfully, and she stepped back in fear. "No need to be nasty," she said to it. Hermione was very fond of animals but it seemed that her fondness for them ended with the very small and very large ones. She threw a piece of her meal towards it, which went completely ignored.

Before entering the smaller version of the house, she finished the rest of the sandwich and went to the front of the structure. There were pots of flowers all around the porch and even two hanging from the ceiling along with a sign that read _Hatter, M. Maker of fine Hats. _Hermione tried her best from bursting out in laughter and went to the front door. There, on the side of it, there was a plaque that was in scripted with the phrase, _Hatter, M. Appointed Royal Hat Maker by Her Majesty, The Queen._ Hermione only scowled at the mention of the Queen.

Once inside, it seemed almost impossible that Draco Malfoy, a pampered and selfish boy, could ever have made such wonderful hats. They were not of Hermione's taste, of course, having gone out of style in the last century, but they were still breathtaking. The left side was entirely for the males and the right side, much larger in selection than the left, was reserved for the female hats. There were some with feathers, others made out of straw and even some of pure silk or velvet. She had a certain temptation to try one on, but Hermione refrained herself from it.

"Were you looking for something in particular?" It was Malfoy and he had not realized it was Hermione.

"Yes, something large and made out of white ferret, got anything?" She turned and faced him fully so that he could see her face closely.

"Quite hilarious, now get out."

"I'm just browsing, I hate to say it, but I much prefer you making hats than being the evil person I've always known. You're not wearing an apron are you?" she stepped forward and proved that her eyes were not deceiving her.

"Better an apron and not a towel." He went behind the counter, were he resumed working on a blue silk hat.

Hermione felt her face go red. She racked her mind for something to respond to his comment but when she didn't, he looked up smugly.

"Not embarrassed are we?" "No." she blurted, the lie evident in her voice.

Luckily, a customer walked through the door before she embarrassed herself further.

"Hatter!" It was a normal looking girl of about thirteen with a voice like a doll's. She was dressed in a fine dress of silk a shade of dark purple. The large bustle trailed behind her and she walked right past Hermione without acknowledging her. On her head was a hat that matched wonderfully and blended beautifully with her jet black hair. "Is my hat ready?" she asked sweetly.

"Why yes it is Ms. Lydia." He went to the back and retrieved a large box then set it on the counter and took out a very intricate white hat.

"Oh, Hatter, I just love it!" The girl took off her hat and tried on the white one, then shoved Hermione out of the way so that she may look at herself in the mirror. "I'll just have to kiss you for this one." She turned to Malfoy expectantly.

He hesitated, then answered, "Save your kisses for the ones that deserve you Ms. Lydia. I'm no catch at all."

"Don't be modest." She put the hat back in its box and placed her purple one back were it belonged. Then she whispered (quite loudly for a whisper), "I really hope that the _girl_ has nothing to do with you, I saw the way she was eyeing you and its not very ladylike."

Hermione was about to comment on the girl's own behavior when Malfoy beat her to it.

"What, that girl over there?" he stole a quick glance at her then continued. "I wouldn't of noticed her if you hadn't told me."

She smiled sweetly then turned to leave but not before eyeing Hermione up and down. Through the window, Hermione could see the young girl enter her carriage and be driven away. "I hope that everyone's not as snobbish as you are."

"No, only crazier." He had resumed his work on the hat.

"I would have thought that a person like yourself use something to bypass the hassles of hard work."

"What are you babbling about?" He had put on a pair of ridiculous glasses that he used for the beading part of the hat.

"Why aren't you using your wand?"

He removed the glasses and was ready to answer her question, but he seemed at a loss for words.

"I suppose you _like_ the feeling of hard work and its results, don't you?" Hermione had not meant it with smugness, but her know-it-all mannerisms did not settle well with Malfoy.

"Bugger off."

She ignored his comment completely and began her search for answers. "Have you tried apparating?"

"Of course I have, it was the first thing that came to mind."

"Well, are there any other witches or wizards in this place, there has to be a way-"

"Granger…I would be lying if I said I enjoyed the sound of your voice but as much as I would love to have you chatting about all the ways that, sincerely, I've already tried, I'd prefer it if you didn't."

"Malfoy, I'd love to pay attention to your lovely comments but I've got to get out of here and return to the real world. Frankly I don't look forward to the Queen of Hearts. Did you even read the books?"

"What books?"

"The ones that all of this is based on. Alice's Adventure's in Wonderland, Through the Looking glass? Course not, what am I saying, you wouldn't unless you paid any attention in Muggle Studies."

"Of course I remember the first one. I'm not that stupid. I don't remember the details because, if you haven't noticed, I'm not that fond of _your _kind or their literature."

"Well, in the first one Alice just woke up after the trial, and the second she merely walked through a mirror into Wonderland and exited by completing a game of chess the size of a small town then woke up."

"It's obvious, just go through a trial or a mirror and there you go, gone."

"Yes but, I'm not exactly looking forward to a trial here, things are not going to happen exactly as they did to Alice. We aren't by any chance dreaming, are we?"

Malfoy looked at her, making eye contact. It felt peculiar since they had never made any contact like this that did not include scowling at each other. "Oh, yes. A dream that's lasted a month for me. Why hadn't I thought of that before?"

"Well, I could be the one dreaming. Quite logical, I had seen the book right before I came here…but I was already up." Her spirits fell as she ran out of ideas.

"Disappointing, isn't it?"

"Quite."


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: Not mine.

Thanks to all that have reviewed. I love hearing from you guys and I challenge all of you to review! That or be eaten by the Jabberwock, your choice.

Hatter- `You might just as well say that "I see what I eat" is the same thing as "I eat what I see"!' -Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

* * *

Hermione had never felt as defeated as she did now. She had a horrible feeling at the pit of her stomach that she could not get rid of. It was already nearing sunset and the fact that Draco Malfoy had been in this world for a month did not help her in the least. Malfoy was currently sitting very comfortably in the biggest chair and eyeing her from the other side of the living room. His top hat was on the little table near the lamp and if he hadn't been the snobbish idiot and traitor that he had always been to her, he might have seemed like a civil person.

"I want you to know that it's not the easiest thing to clean those mirrors." He had said this because she was poking each and every one of the mirrors in the living room multiple times.

"Yes, well, if you used your wand to clean them then it would be easier but since you prefer to do things the _muggle_ way now, it's your own fault." She started to use her whole hand now and even rubbed it in a little. There were still a large number of mirrors left to try, and it only frustrated Hermione more when some were missed.

"I might as well help you if you are going to take this long." Malfoy stood and because he was a head taller than her, said, "It would be a horrible disability if I were your height."

"Quite the gentleman." There was a hint of sarcasm in her tone, to which he was sure to respond to.

He began with the top and continued on faster than she was. "And you would know the definition, being of a high class?"

"You don't have to be rich to be a gentleman. A girl appreciates it no matter how much is in your pocket."

"Really, well, you're telling me that if I had no money at all that a girl could still fall for me? Hah! The first thing that a girl looks to is the size of your Gringotts vault."

"Well, look at us…I know how much fortune your family has but I find you a pig. Ever since we met."

"That explains why you and Weasley-"

Hermione felt her neck and face go red.

"Wasn't he going with that annoying girl? The one that was always plastered to his face."

She remembered how it had hurt to see him with her and it wasn't easy to have been reminded of them. Malfoy smirked at her.

"Don't tell me you're jealous of that brainless nitwit?"

"Which one, they both seem to be at the same level of intelligence."

"I seem to be rubbing off on you."

He had smiled at her, a real and genuine smile.

"Being civil to a lowly _muggleborn_, like me? Much obliged." It was as callous as she could make it.

"It's the madness…I can't help but act as I have."

"Right, well, keep touching those mirrors."

There was a sudden blast and the door burst wide open. The blast had caused some mirrors to fall and break. Hermione had her hand on a very small and pocket sized mirror and her hand had gone through it as if it were water. The small mirror was still on the wall and she had placed it in the little pocket her dress had. Through the door, there came several soldiers, all dressed in armor that had the Queen of Heart's emblem. They all hurried in and a soldier of much higher rank and with significantly different armor approached them with a scroll in his hand which he unfurled.

"By order of Her Majesty, the Queen of Hearts," he began, "All households finding themselves within Wonderland shall be searched from foot to head for…eh…for," he showed the scroll to the nearest soldier, "can you read that? They're always smudging these things."

"A pocket watch, sir. The White Rabbit's pocket watch."

Hermione let out a gasp to which Malfoy scowled at.

"Oh…yes…I see it. Right, the White Rabbit's pocket watch. Just a routine search, nothing to worry yourselves over."

"Granger, you never quite told me how you came to be here."

The soldiers had began to search through the whole house, turning things upside down and making a great deal of noise.

"I saw the white rabbit and…I…"she whispered, feeling a sense of dread as the soldiers started searching upstairs.

"YOU what, exactly?" His voice was menacing and he gave her an awful sneer.

"Well, you see, there was this…pocket watch. I thought someone had dropped-"

There were loud footsteps heard upstairs as a soldier ran back down the stairs with something clutched in his hand.

"Sir, I believe this is what we have been searching for."

The officer, who had a slight resemblance to that of a walrus, took out a pair of spectacles far too small for his face and inspected the item much closer.

"Right! Seize them."

"Wait, I didn't know it was the rabbit's, I thought someone had dropped it, I swear!" A very tall soldier had begun to put Hermione in chains.

"My dear, who said anything about dropping things, we are dealing with a _theft_."

"The Hatter, too, sir?"

"I have a very large order from her majesty that I must finish on time, which I simply won't have enough of if I am taken to court."

"Malfoy, you brat!" The soldier that had taken a hold of Hermione was already leading her to the door.

"Well, I suppose not, the Queen doesn't like it when things are not ready…maybe some other time Hatter, good day."

Hermione struggled against the soldier's firm grip on her and stumbled a bit as they went down the stairs. There was a small cage with iron bars that was driven by a horse and it was only obvious that she was to be situated inside of it.

"Don't PUSH me or I'll-"

"Yes, yes, pretty little thing…don't get your petty coat in a twist…come on then…up you go." She was practically tossed into the confined box.

"Watch it!" Hermione stared daggers at the officer, who in turn smiled and waved a pair of keys tauntingly.

"Manners, my love. Mind 'em and we might give you special treatment."

Her breathing steepened and as he winked at her, she kicked the bars and startled him. The other men around them snickered and stopped as the walrus-looking officer, now mounted on his horse, coughed loudly.

"I see you are having a wonderful time but my wife expects me home in two days and if I do not make it on time I'll have each and every one of you lads help finish renovating our thirteen room home is that clear?" As he said these words, he ran out of air and turned a violent shade of red.

"Yes sir." The officers all mounted their horses and began at a steady pace which felt quite uncomfortable for Hermione. The road was full of rocks that only caused the cage to jolt uncontrollably.

It was very difficult for Hermione to be in such a position. She quickly maneuvered her hands under her feet and to her front where she could readily reach her wand, which was still in her boot. As she reached for it, the thought occurred to her that there really was no need for an escape. She would endure the arduous trial and then, hopefully, wake up. All things, however, are easier said than done of course.

Hermione had been curled up in the fetal position and had long ago fallen asleep. It became quite difficult to keep asleep as the cage began to tremble horribly. The air was cold and it was still very dark. The moon was most likely full because there was a significant amount of moonlight. Hermione tried to look at it but the roof of the cage was solid and the bars were too close together to poke her head out.

Lanterns bobbed up and down behind the cage and one of them was coming closer to her. She squinted and when the horse and rider approached the right side of the cage, the face of the annoying officer was illuminated by the glowing light.

"Pleasant ride?" He grinned and sped up so that he was leading the party in front of the horse-drawn cage. The officer could have passed off as one of Malfoy's relatives as nasty as he was behaving. Hermione felt stupid at the thought of having believed that Malfoy would have actually accompanied her to the courthouse. However, it wasn't his responsibility to help her in any way. He had not promised her anything and it should not have been expected of him to live up to his promises, especially if they were between a muggleborn and himself. Hermione knew it was useless to wish he had been there for her and it was just another disappointment in her life so far.

The sun had quietly crept up into the sky and it was a warm sunrise. The road, which could now be seen clearly, was cobblestone. She could see the riders behind her now extinguish their lanterns and quicken their pace. This, however, caused and even more horrible tremble in the cage and she knew if she were to speak she would have a quiver in her voice.

The country soon turned into the outskirts of a town. Cottages lined it mostly, but there were some large pieces of land that did house extremely well-built homes. In one instance, she could slightly see the city. Her head pushed against the bars and she strained her eyes but she was able to see only part of a castle. It was much more bigger than Hogwarts and the buildings around it had a slight resemblance to skyscrapers, the castle being the tallest edifice and at the center of everything. Once inside the city everything was still and lonely. The businesses were not opening and deliveries were not being made. There was no one and it was slightly unsettling.

Hermione was starting to feel sore and it wasn't easy to stretch herself out. After some time going through the city, the party of officers stopped and dismounted their horses. To Hermione's much chagrin, the same officer that had irritated her was in charge of unloading her and then walking her to the courthouse. She looked up in astonishment as the tall buildings looked more and more a mixture of gothic, Victorian and metropolitan areas combined. The walkway to the grand courthouse was long and she tried to catch her breath as the steep walkway tuned into stone steps. It seemed that the missing inhabitants of the city were all packed inside. They were all like stone and faced the front.

The courthouse looked like a cathedral more than anything but the windows were clear and as high as to give the illusion of being in some sort of heaven. The walls were pure stone and it was like nothing she had ever seen before. There were portraits on the wall of what was presumably the Queen and she seemed quite benign in her appearance.

The walkway led to the stand and the jury box, quite small in comparison to the seats of the crowd. Once near enough, she could see the jury box and the people inside. She was expecting to see an array of animals but it was only people with masks that were of animals. They were quite eerie and it was uncomfortable for Hermione to have these masked strangers stare at her throughout the whole process.

The Queen and King of Hearts, of course, were the highest seated and the white rabbit, now in the form of a much older man with a rather full belly, was dressed in all white and walked nervously to the officer holding Hermione.

"Is this the _perpetrator?" _He was quite skittish and looked Hermione up and down as if measuring the size of her strength.

"Yes sir." He was holding on to her arm rather painfully and dragged her forward to be seated in front of the jury box.

The queen was quite beautiful, nothing compared as to how she was usually depicted. She had high cheekbones and large eyes. Her skin was pale, most likely powdered, and her attire stunning. Her headdress, very similar as to how the Queen on the playing cards had it, was quite intricate and only added to her sense of authority. There was a rather cold and indifferent look on her face and it only added to the feeling of her rashness. Seated next to her was the King, who resembled his wife in their attire. He had a rather ridiculous mustache that curled up at the sides and a look of pompousness was plastered on his face.

Hermione had sat next to a man who gave the aura of aristocracy. This man had a giant red knave of hearts on his coat and was also wearing a tunic and ridiculous tights that made his legs look as thin as sticks.

"Continue, White Rabbit." The Queen's voice was very loud but she had hardly shouted. Her gaze was menacing and somewhat malevolent.

"Right…well…first piece of evidence against the Knave of Hearts goes as follows;

The Queen of Hearts, she made some tarts,

All on a summer's day:The Knave of Hearts, he stole those tarts,And took them quite away!"

"Off with his head then…" her voice was very calm and resonated against the walls.

The Knave trembled as he was to be dragged off. Hermione had sworn that in the books more witnesses were called to the stand.

"Aren't there any other witnesses?" Hermione whispered to a guard behind her but was startled as her voice was ten times the volume she had meant.

"Do you have any important facts about this trial?" the King asked her. Hermione felt stupid and quickly refrained herself from saying anything else that might raise anymore inquiry.

"I…I changed my mind."

"Well, I hope the new one works better than the old…now, what do you have for evidence?" the King looked towards her expectantly .

"Nothing."

"Very important."

"Unimportant." The white rabbit corrected.

"Well, what do you have of importance, young lady?"

Hermione racked her brains for something to say and locked eyes with the Knave. He was pleading to her and was beginning to cry. She rolled her eyes and chose to help the doomed Wonderland character.

"The king of hearts

Called for those tarts,

And beat the knave full sore;

The knave of hearts

Brought back those tarts

And said he'll ne'er steal more."

The courthouse erupted with chatter and confusion and the King called for order.

"Order, order! Young lady, were did you get this evidence?" the King fixed his wig which had become loose as he carried out his outburst.

"Did he bring the tarts back?" Hermione looked around and spotted them in a small table. It was situated in front of the royals. The King looked at his Queen, and said, "Yes, he did."

"Then he should be let go, he will never steal again, right Knave?"

The Knave of Hearts nodded heartily.

"We did beat him, sir." A guard piped in.

The court once more erupted in chatter. The King was tugging at his moustache while the Queen stared at Hermione. There was a slight smile to her face and it wasn't a pleasant one.

"Very well-" the King started.

"And what, pray tell, are _you_ doing here?" The Queen had interrupted the King, and the whole courthouse fell silent. She was still smiling but it was more of a frightening smirk now. The Knave of Hearts kneeled and thanked her before quietly slipping away.

Hermione dared not respond to the question. Their eyes were locked but it was becoming unbearable. The officer that resembled a walrus came up with the pocket watch in his hand.

"Theft, your majesty, she stole the White Rabbit's pocket watch."

She swore she heard someone whisper "oh no." The Queen only widened her smile.

"White Rabbit," she called. He looked up to her. "Take the stand."

He seated himself in the stand positioned next to the King and Queen but lower in placement.

"Where were you yesterday morning?" The Queen had not taken her eyes off of Hermione.

"I was speaking with the Cheshire Cat about the border and who is allowed in and who isn't."

"Interesting. What were you to do after your meeting with the Cheshire Cat?" she placed her hands on her lap and put her fingertips together.

"I was to have a meeting with your majesty and the consul to the Red Queen." He took out a handkerchief to wipe the sweat that was pouring from his head.

"Was this meeting important?"

"Well, yes, your Majesty, it was over land acquirement and the dispute over the Red Queen's border and ours." He wringed his piece of cloth repeatedly.

The Queen, now apparently in a staring contest with Hermione, finally broke their trance to look over to the White Rabbit.

"Were you needed at this conference?"

"Y-y-yes," he stammered.

"THEN WHY WEREN'T YOU THERE?" The whole court had cringed as she screeched. The White Rabbit was on the verge of tears.

"I… lost track of time because my pocket watch was s-s-stolen."

She looked over to Hermione.

"Who stole it?"

The White Rabbit pointed at Hermione.

"So, my treaty with the Red Queen is jeopardized because of a girl that cannot respect the property of others." Her voice had gone back to being quite calm, "Off with her head."

The guards approached her and proceeded to take her to the other side of the courthouse. Hermione expected to wake up any minute, but it seemed that her stirring was slightly late.

"WAIT." Everyone turned to see who had spoken. Hermione, who was in the custody of at least ten guards, gasped as she saw Draco Malfoy, top hat and all, approach the King and Queen.

"Hatter, how lovely to see you. How is my order doing?" She had spoken very sweetly.

"Very well, your Majesty, ready to be delivered on the due date." Malfoy glanced over at Hermione. He rolled his eyes and turned back to the Queen.

"What brings you here?" The Queen motioned for one of her servants to bring her tea. She took it and gracefully drank from the cup.

"This girl is not guilty."

"Really?" she stared at her teacup as if it had become the most interesting thing in the whole courthouse. "I think that there is enough evidence to condemn her, don't you think so, White Rabbit?"

He nodded as he fanned himself with the handkerchief.

"Well, she was with me the whole time. I watched her every move and she did not steal that watch."

"What a shame, I would have liked you to have finished my order. Both are guilty, take them away!"

"But why?"

"It wasn't a watch you imbecile. It was a _pocket watch_. Now, next case."

Malfoy looked flabbergasted as the guards took both of his arms. Then, they both were escorted to a large door that led to a very large hall. From there, they were taken to a lower level that drastically resembled the dungeons of Hogwarts. The only difference was that these were jail cells and were much more colder.

The same officer that had mistreated Hermione now pushed them both into a cell but not before taking Malfoy's top hat.

"Love your work. You won't mind, will ya? There isn't much need for it after you lose yer head, is there?" His cackle reminded Hermione of the hyenas she had seen on a trip to the zoo and was happy when he left along with the others, leaving them in the pitch black.

Hermione reached for her wand. "Lumos." Draco Malfoy's pale face appeared and there was no sign of forgiveness on it.

"Why did you come?" She had not meant to sound so upset.

"Well excuse me for trying to help you but I thought you were going to wake up." He took out his own wand from the inside of his boot and lit it. The whole dungeon was now lighted and Malfoy cringed as he saw the muddy floor.

"That's what I thought, but as we have clearly see, I'm still here." She approached the bars of the cell and illuminated the hallway. "There's nobody, we should go."

"Well if Nobody's out there, he'll surely ring an alarm." Hermione turned to look at him, only to see that he was looking at her sincerely.

"Nobody, as in no persons…are you all right?"

"Oh…right. Well, of course Granger, I just didn't understand your stupid comment." He ignored her and began to melt the bars with his wand. They carefully set the loose bars aside so as to not make a noise and went back the way they had come in. There were no torches and they relied heavily on the light of their wands.

"Oi!" It was the same officer as before. He had been patrolling and spotted their lights from far away. "The hell are you doing out of your cell?" He whistled and more footsteps were heard behind him.

"Come on then." Malfoy took her wrist and lead her into an obscured hallway to their right. Hermione struggled to run as fast as he did and nearly tripped on her dress before picking up the front. The officers could be heard coming closer and when they reached another hallway, they turned left and sped up.

"Hurry!" Malfoy had led her up a flight of stairs while still holding her wrist tightly. At the top of the stairs was a piece of wall that when going up the stairs, obscured what was behind it.

"Knox." They extinguished their wands simultaneously and Draco pressed Hermione's body very closely to his own.

They saw as the soldiers went past them, all of them missing Hermione and Draco hidden behind the piece of wall. Hermione had never been in such close proximity to Draco and she was slightly taken aback when Malfoy pressed her harder into himself.

Once the officers had disappeared from view, he once again took her hand and led her down the flight of stairs. They illuminated their wands again and ran harder, once again retracing their steps back to where they had been chased from. There was a small table with playing cards on it and to their surprise, the top hat that the officer had taken. With a swift movement, Draco swiped it from the table, knocking down the rest of its contents as well. They had successfully made it back up to the hallway with the doors and their eyes rested as the hallway offered them proper lighting. Draco, still holding onto Hermione, look decidedly at each door. In the end, they entered the third door to their left and were met with a large library. Hermione closed the door and leaned against it, all the while trying to catch her breath.

Malfoy, on the other hand, seemed perfectly fine and went to the high French doors that led to a terrace. He opened them and motioned for Hermione to follow.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I own none of this or none of that.

I'm craving feedback…

Duchess- '…and the moral of that is-"Be what you would seem to be"-or if you'd like it put more simply-"Never imagine yourself not to be otherwise than what it might appear to others that what you were or might have been was not otherwise than what you had been would have appeared to them to be otherwise."' `I think I should understand that better,' Alice said very politely, `if I had it written down: but I can't quite follow it as you say it.'

-Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

* * *

"I can't do it." Hermione was holding on to the door for dear life.

"Granger…come on." Malfoy was holding out his hand for her. The only way out of the courthouse was to descend from the terrace, then, with luck, climb down while using the building.

"Let's go check the other doors, there's got to be-"

"Granger," he said more menacingly. "Look, it's only a short way down."

Hermione peeked down and was sure that he was off his rocker. "What are you MAD? There are more than four stories to this place."

"Yes but there's a lot that we can hold on to," he said this and took her hand. He climbed over the railing with one hand sustaining himself and the other still holding her.

"Look, I'm fine, still holding on." He suddenly slipped and disappeared from view, sending Hermione into a frenzy.

"Draco!" Hermione lurched forward, ready to bring him back up. He erupted in laughter and brought himself back up.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't help it." He held his chest for air as he continued his laughter. She had felt as if all the blood in her body drained out and her breathing became irregular.

"You're such a jerk!"

Malfoy wiped the smile off of his face as he saw something move inside of the library. "Come on." Hermione was forced to climb over the rail and duck beneath it. The group of officers had entered the library and searched the terrace. "No one here, sir."

Malfoy began his trip down by carefully gripping window panes and stones that stuck out from the rest. Hermione took a deep breath and followed him carefully. She kept her eyes on where she was going next and dared not look out to the rest of the view.

"It's beautiful, you should see it." Malfoy had paused and was looking around at the view.

"I'm sure it is, maybe when I get down."

"Oh, come on. You've probably faced worse things than this." His top hat had flown away but it seemed that he was too entranced to notice.

Hermione held on harder and slowly turned her head around. For once, she could honestly say that Draco Malfoy was right about something. It was a bird's eye view of the city and beyond the city was the ocean. The sun was still in its morning phase and it reflected stunningly on the ocean. Birds flew past them and it seemed like a little piece of heaven. Her heart seemed to be floating in air and she looked down to Malfoy, who in turn smiled up at her.

"Told you so." The wind blew her hair into a messy ball but it was unimportant to her. At the moment she felt as if she were flying…and it was the first time that she enjoyed the feeling of it.

"I see now why you boys enjoy flying so much."

"Yes, that and of course spitting on people." Hermione shook her head and couldn't help but laugh. They continued their journey downwards and before Hermione knew it, they were mere feet from the floor. She looked up momentarily and could not believe that she had climbed down a four story building. Malfoy whistled once he was on the ground and helped Hermione off the last part of the building. His German horse galloped into view, much more intimidating than when he was in his stall.

"Good boy." Draco mounted it and held his hand out for Hermione to take. She took it and with great strength, he lifted her onto the horse. She had never ridden side-saddle but seeing as he had instructed the horse to go as fast as it could, there was no time for lifting her leg over.

"Where are we going?" she managed to yell at him. He had led the horse into the city streets, which were slightly more inhabited than before. Draco ignored her question and guided them into a more shady part of the city. It wasn't as bad as Knockturn Alley but more of a place were criminals might reside. They ventured deeper and deeper into the dark streets and stopped at a very discrete antique shop with darkened windows. Malfoy searched the street and seeing as no one appeared, he dismounted the horse and helped Hermione off.

"They might steal your horse."

"I doubt it." He rasped on the door three times and then waited a minute before doing a complicated series of knocks.

An old man that slightly resembled Mr. Ollivander opened the door and smiled at them. He said nothing but motioned for them to enter. Once inside, the old man turned the open sign so that it read 'closed.'

"Is he here?" Malfoy stiffened as the old man straightened out and was nearly as tall as he was. The old man nodded and led them to the back of the store and down into a basement. The large underground room was full of metals and old furniture, Hermione even saw a couple pianos under some artifacts. There was a shelf with many scrolls and some overflowed onto the floor. They were led to a solid wall were the old man pushed a section and it opened up to another room, one only slightly lighted. It looked as if it were some restaurant, only there was no food. There were about ten booths with curtains closed and only one with them open. A light hanging from the ceiling did nothing to light up the people inside of it and a thick cloud of smoke loomed over the booth. The old man motioned for them to sit there and once up close, Hermione could make out the bodies of a man and a very thin and provocative woman. They were sharing a pipe from the middle of the booth that emitted strange but sweet scents. Draco motioned for her to be seated first and before he did, the old man took his coat and hung it for him.

"Go." It was the low voice of a male and Hermione was slightly frightened by it. The girl next to him stood up and left. She wore a red dress that was far too short to be in public and it was amazing to see that Malfoy did not even glance at her once. Ron and Harry often let their eyes wander and Hermione always felt irritated when they did it in front of her. The curtains were shut and the man leaned forward but it was still impossible to see his whole face.

"Hatter." He blew a grand puff of smoke and offered the pipe to him. Malfoy took out a cigarette from his vest pocket, showed it to him and lit it with matches that were on the table. The man shrugged and continued to smoke.

"The Caterpillar?" Hermione hadn't meant it for it to be so frank but she just couldn't believe that the wonderland characters were becoming more and more corrupted from their original selves.

"And who might you be?" He puffed smoke in the direction of Hermione.

"Not important. I know you have ties to the other side and we need safe passage." Malfoy sat back and exhaled from his nostrils.

"You've asked me before…my response is still no." He paused before saying, "Not Important is no citizen here…as are you."

They were silent for quite some time.

"What's in your left pocket?"

Hermione looked at Malfoy to see if the question was directed at him and he turned to her. She felt inside her pocket and took out the forgotten small mirror. Her thumb went through it and it rippled like water.

"A key to the Looking Glass…" He spoke very slowly and sat back.

"What's that?" Draco eyed the tiny mirror.

"Only keys can activate the Looking Glass. When not activated, it's just a plain and ordinary mirror. It seems that you might actually have a chance now. In exchange for this favor, I'll need something of great value."

"Like what?" Hermione feared that he might ask her for the mirror.

He took a long time on deciding what he wanted. "It would be useless of me to ask you for that stick you hide so I will settle for something else. Something from both of you. From you, Hatter, a lock of your hair." The hand belonging to the man slid some scissors to him. Draco took them and cut a long piece of hair from the back and handed it to him. It glistened under the light and the Caterpillar put it in a small jar.

"And from you, Not Important, an emotion."

"What do you mean by an emotion?" Hermione looked from Malfoy to the Caterpillar.

"I am incapable of feeling the emotions of those from your world." He had stopped smoking and his whole body turned towards her. "Real emotions are a controlled substance in this world and we take every opportunity to get some."

Malfoy was still smoking and often touched the spot where he had cut off the hair.

"What kind of emotion do you want?" Hermione found this the easiest task and was more than willing to do it.

The Caterpillar pushed a large and strange bottle to the center of the table between them and uncorked it.

"Love."

Hermione was taken aback. "I- I've never been in love."

"Think of family."

She thought of her parents and the bottle magically filled with red, clear liquid. She thought of all the Weasleys and the red substance hardly rose in level. She then thought of Ron and the liquid turned dark red.

The Caterpillar took the bottle and smelled it. "Passion…I have enough Love in this, I will be satisfied if you fill the rest with Passion."

Hermione went red in the face and tried to think of everything she could but the bottle would not fill. She even thought of her first kiss with Victor Krum and it would not do.

"I…can't do it."

"What a shame…" The Caterpillar resumed his smoking. Malfoy had put out his cigarette and had asked for a glass of water. The old man brought it and he took many large gulps.

"I wish I were able to help…but I do nothing for free."

Draco turned to Hermione. He looked at her with a very callous stare and looked back at the Caterpillar. He started fidgeting and fixed his collar numerous times. He then took to either scratching his head or running his hand through his hair.

"You alright?" Hermione figured that he was just very annoyed with her for not completing her task

"How bad do you want to get out of here?"

Hermione gave him an exasperated stare.

"Thought so." He moved next to her and closed the distance between them.

"What are you doing?"

Malfoy put his hands around her neck. She heard him breath in and her eyes widened as he kissed her, first softly and then ardently. Her body tensed up and she felt her face grow hot. He smelled of smoke, she hated him and she would have sickened at the idea of ever kissing Draco Malfoy but she let it happen. It was strange that she forgot mostly everything and focused on the feel of his lips on hers.

Hermione's body began to loosen up but the kiss was broken as the Caterpillar cleared his throat. The bottle was now almost full to the rim and he corked it. Draco immediately moved away from her and lit another cigarette.

"How do we get to this Looking Glass?" Draco wiped his mouth and took another large gulp from his glass of water. She felt awkward and slightly light-headed. No one had ever kissed her like that and she thought of how disgusted Ron and Harry would be if they ever found out. As she started to feel herself smile she quickly thought of all of his faults and remembered every infraction he had ever committed. Draco, on the other hand, looked quite cool and collected but if the lighting were of better quality, she could have been able to see the slight pink tinge on his cheeks.

"The Looking Glass lies in the hands of the Red Queen. It is very difficult to get to her, seeing as the borders are very closely watched. If you head east, you'll find that the security is held at a minimum, however, you'll find yourselves in a very thick forest and what lies in it. Beware of the Queen of Hearts' henchmen for they lie there and they are never what they seem." He handed them a folded piece of paper across the table and Malfoy opened it. Inside it was an intricate drawing of what looked like a maze and three circles around it. "This will guarantee you both safe passage with my man- if you successfully exit the forest."

Draco took the paper and stuffed it into the inside pocket of his vest. The curtains were drawn back and the seductive woman sat down next to the Caterpillar. He nodded at Malfoy who in turn stood and was offered his coat by the old man. Hermione followed, but was startled when the man took her hand. He had come into the light fully and she was able to see that he was a black man. On the center of his hand were a pair of wings tattooed and rings all around it.

"Would you change things if you had the chance?" The question had caught her off guard.

"I suppose…if they needed changing. Why do you ask me that?" He let go of her hand and remained silent. She saw as he uncorked the bottle and took a large drink from it.

"I shall show you out now." The old man beckoned them to leave and she saw as the Caterpillar took the woman's hand and kissed it. Then he lay back and was once again, consumed in shadow. They were escorted back to where the entrance to the shop was only to find that once they stepped out, it was a completely different street. Draco's horse was still waiting outside which he took by the reins and led through the street.

The street was filled with shops and vendors who all yelled the quality of their merchandise. The people on this street were in Victorian attire and they were all ordinary. Perhaps the only thing that was strange was the Queen's emblem in every wall or carriage. There were guards at every corner but they missed them completely.

"Do you think they know about us escaping?" Hermione asked him this while looking all around her.

"Of course, they are just too stupid to look for a male with a top hat on." His blonde hair shined in the sunlight and she was hardly able to see were he had cut the large lock of hair off.

The busy street was near to the ocean and she could easily smell the salt in the air. An open carriage passed by with a very elegant woman in it. Her dress was quite beautiful and of the highest quality. Her large hat was just as beautiful and just as white as her dress. She looked down at Hermione and stuck her nose in the air. Hermione rolled her eyes and tried to keep up with Malfoy.

The bustle of her dress was very dirty and she felt very uncomfortable having it drag. She picked it up and quickened her pace. There was the smell of freshly baked bread and she remembered that she hadn't eaten. Her stomach growled but luckily, the street was too crowded and noisy for anyone to hear it.

Malfoy tied his horse to a post outside of a small bed and breakfast. He held the door open for her and the smell of food hit her like a wave. She didn't know what they were doing there but she dare not ask him. It was a pretty little thing and the dining room was converted into a small café. A plump woman with a kind face approached them.

"Hello, Hatter! Where's March?" The apron she wore was much too tight on her and she wore a large cap of linen on her head.

"Hello, Cook. He wasn't feeling up to coming with me…any open spots?" He ran his hand through his hair. There were only a handful of tables open and she led them to the one all the way in the back. Draco sat at the chair with his back facing the wall and Hermione directly opposite him. The room was nicely decorated with roses and Victorian furniture. There was a larger window that had a perfect view of the street and beyond that, very far away, was the castle.

"And who is this pretty mouse?" She took Hermione's chin in her hand. Malfoy ignored her question. "They'd pay a fortune for your hair and for your eyes especially."

Hermione retracted her head and felt somewhat disturbed by her comment.

"What'll it be then?"

"The regular for me…Granger?"

"Whatever he's having."

"Easy on the pepper." He added and the cook left.

She looked everywhere she could to avoid his eyes and took to staring out the window. A small and portly boy stared at her while eating with his family. He had round cheeks and messy, brown hair. He was transfixed on her and ever so often she would smile at him. It became quite annoying after awhile, especially when he started to make faces at her. She couldn't help but laugh at him as his mother slapped him across the head. The boy seemed unscathed and smiled at her, as if to show that he was strong and resumed his eating without staring at her.

"I-er- I wouldn't encourage you to mention our little touching of lips to anyone, got it?" Draco stared at his gloved hand as if it was the most interesting thing he had ever seen.

"Kissing anyone as vile as you, I'd much rather have kissed Filch."

"Right…Well, we both know how catastrophic it would be for our reputations to be tainted by something as miniscule as a simple thing like that."

"What a lovely couple! How long have you two known each other?" It was a waitress with their plates. It was eggs and toast, not exactly Hermione's favorite but she was not about to complain. The waitress set tea down for them and looked at them with a warm smile.

"We aren't together," Hermione responded.

"That's what they all say, Miss." She winked at them and disappeared from view.

"I nearly vomited," he said, starting on his plate. Hermione had already started with hers and was wolfing down the food. He paused to stare at her in disbelief.

"Are you just going to watch me stuff my face or what?" Hermione felt uncomfortable as he was watching her. She really didn't care what he thought, all she knew was that she was hungry.

"I've never seen a girl with that kind of appetite. I thought your kind only ate like birds."

"It's some stupid idea we have about impressing a guy but I don't buy into it. Sooner or later they'll find out that you actually _like_ food." She slowed down as she became full and chewed her food thoroughly.

"What do you think the Caterpillar meant by changing things?" He looked up at her and after taking a sip of his tea, responded to her question.

"He's in an underground democratic party that wants a direct democracy instead of this absolute monarchy. They'll often ask me to poison a hat or two but I've become faint of extremism."

"Well, I'm glad to hear that. I take it that you know how to navigate around this world?"

"Not exactly, common sense really. I just meet people and ask around. Carefully that is." He added three extra sugar cubes to his tea, which astounded Hermione.

"You shouldn't use so much sugar, it's bad for your teeth."

Malfoy looked at her and drank it while keeping eye contact. "What would you know about teeth?"

"My parents are dentists- er…teeth doctors."

"Right, well I'd worry more about my own teeth if I were you. Wouldn't want people to think you actually care, would you?"

"No, you're right." She shook her head and smiled at his comment.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: Not mine :[

**

* * *

**

Hermione Granger stared at her reflection and tried her hardest not to point out every imperfection. It was quite difficult but with much strength, she ignored the imperfections andmade a funny face into the mirror. Then she used a charm to clean her teeth and seeing as her hair was giving her an eye sore, she charmed it so that it was put into a tight braid. The baby hairs that stood out only frustrated her more and she tucked most of them in before giving up. Then, she looked down at her dress and cleaned it. It wasn't the prettiest dress, but she wasn't about to give up comfort over style.

The cook had let her use the lavatory and she felt much better now that her dress was clean and her hair was neat. Malfoy was waiting outside and looked quite bored at having to wait for her. His eyes widened as she exited the building and she felt quite embarrassed.

"What, do I have something stuck on me?" Hermione looked down at her dress and touched her face.

"No, you just happen to look… different for once."

"What in the world are you talking about…I just cleaned up…I can't look that different."

"You're right," he said looking away. "I must've mistaken you for the girl behind you."

She turned to see the same beautiful woman that had looked down at her earlier enter the bed and breakfast. Hermione felt slightly humiliated by this comment.

"Right, well, close your mouth next time you decide to mistake someone for another."

They ventured further away from the center of the city and presumably to the east. It seemed that any attempt at dialogue between the two immediately became uncomfortable and the conversation was ended right away. She took to thinking and wished she wouldn't have. Her thoughts were mostly on Ron and Harry, what they must be going through and how they must feel at having their friend missing. A feeling of anxiety filled her body, focusing mainly in her abdominal region. She would often get these spells of nervousness and it was quite a hassle to remove the feeling, even after there was no reason to worry.

Hermione wringed her hands together in an attempt to relieve her uneasiness, only to have it worsen. Malfoy had noticed her restlessness and stopped for a second.

"You alright?"

"I think-"

"HATTER! I knew it was you!" It was the girl from his hat shop, Lydia. She was wearing a pale pink dress with her white hat on.

He cringed as she called out the name. Lydia ran down the steps of the fine fabric store she had been in and clung to his neck.

"What brings you into the city?" He took her hands and removed them. A couple of officers at the corner of the street had heard his name called out and looked upon them.

"What is _she_ doing with you? God, she's wearing the same thing as yesterday." She gave Hermione the nastiest look and swore she could have been Malfoy's soul mate had she not been so young. The group of officers slowly made their way over to them. Hermione bent down to take her wand out of her boot and groaned as a larger group, this one of foot soldiers, advanced behind them.

"I was thinking that you should make me a striped hat, black and white for Mama's party-" her comment went unnoticed as Malfoy withdrew his wand from inside of his coat.

"Something big, I don't possibly want to be outshined by Mama. She always thinks that she is the center of attention but I shall forbid her from-"

"Will you just SHUT UP!" Hermione had snapped and was not about to let this spoiled girl take her concentration away.

"Hatter, are you going let her talk to me that way?"

The soldiers were closing in and Hermione charmed a large cart of hay to spill over on a few of them. Malfoy transfigured the floor in front of him to turn into thick mud, causing most but not all to fall. This only caused them to get more aggressive and charge at them. The Lydia girl stared in amazement and backed up into the wall of the shop in fear. There was a small well obscured in the alley way between two buildings and Hermione summoned all of the water out of it and a very large amount formed into a wave that sent a scream from the younger girl who rushed into the shop to avoid it. The wave of water successfully toppled all of them over, including Malfoy and herself.

"Nice going Granger," he said, standing with much difficulty. He mounted the horse and held his hand out for her. She took it and was once again lifted on the horse. This time, however, she made sure that her leg went over.

"What would you have me do," she coughed up a large amount of water, "Cunfund all of them?" Malfoy cleared the mud from their path with his wand and urged the horse forward at a fast pace. Hermione checked her pocket to see if the small mirror was there and let a sigh of relief when she felt it. She was dripping from head to foot as was Malfoy and tried as hard as she could to suppress a sneeze that was coming on.

"Are there any following us?" he yelled. Hermione tightened her grip on him and turned her head around. Some were still trying to get up, then, suddenly, out of the corner came officers on horse, all wearing black.

"You're going to have to speed up." She pointed her wand at a shop and caused the windows to burst out and made the horsemen break. Their horses neighed powerfully and kicked up in agitation. They seemed startled and when they were almost out of view, they continued at an even faster speed. There was a lamp post and she caused that to fall but to no use. They had maneuvered well enough that it missed all of them.

Malfoy urged the horse to go faster, but the horsemen seemed to go faster as they only had one rider on each horse. They were about twenty feet away when Hermione spotted a lone and thick tree and hesitated before she made it fall.

"Make it fall!" he yelled.

"That's an old tree…It'll be on my conscience for the rest of my life!" she shouted back at him.

He looked back at her for a second and rolled his eyes. She sent countless amounts of fireworks in their direction that caused a couple horses to tumble over, which she regretted almost instantly. Only a handful kept following them and she felt a jolt as Malfoy led the horse into a sharp turn.

"We'll never get rid of them if we go in a straight line!" he explained.

They made many turns to different streets and even led the horsemen to believe that they were heading back into the city. Once they reached the outskirts of the city, they were unable to see any of them. Malfoy stopped the horse to survey around them. Sure enough, after a couple minutes waiting, no one could be seen following them. He egged the horse on and headed towards the thick and intimidating forest in front of them.

The horse breathed heavily and once they made it deeper into the forest, Hermione felt she should relieve it from its load.

"Let me off, your horse is tired." Malfoy got off and took her waist.

"Right away, _miss_."

"Ha ha…what a sense of humor you have," she said dryly. "What's the magic word?" He still had his hands on her waist as he set her down.

"Git, for one. Idiot, another."

"I was thinking more along the line of _please_."

"Like _please_ refrain from touching me longer than a minute?" She put her hands on his, which were positioned comfortably on her hips.

"Don't think too highly of yourself." He took them off as if he had been burned.

"Yes, well, when you're wet, cold and deprived of sleep, thinking too highly of yourself doesn't necessarily come to mind." She dried herself off with a charm but still felt slightly cold. Malfoy followed suit and took out the paper the Caterpillar gave them and restored it to its former, dry self.

"Is it a map?" She looked over to it and inspected the piece of paper closely.

"I don't think so. It might be a code or…something." He turned it upside down only to have it look the same.

"Do you think they'll be sending more of those idiots our way?"

"Most likely." He pocketed the paper again and started forward. "The ones in black are the worst. They send them out only when the Queen of Hearts really wants someone dead."

"Comforting."

"Yes, that and they never really stop."

"Reminds me of a few people from home."

Her remark caused him to look at her from the corner of his eyes and fall silent.

"I hope you didn't take that as an insult, but they aren't the most friendly people if you remember them well."

"I don't really care, Granger."

"You should, it's not really something you can put aside. They're monsters." She felt slightly angered by his lack of concern. "How could you not? People are suffering and you don't _care_?"

"It's not that easy."

She looked at him incredulously. "For whom? The people suffering or the people too stupid to be under His command?"

He scowled at her and kept going forward. She grabbed him from his coat and forced him to turn around.

"Look at me! I've lived all my years at Hogwarts with your stupid remarks and bigotry and you can't even face me now?" Hermione could not believe that he was being so casual over something like this.

"You think I'm proud of what I did?" His yell made him seem as if he were ten feet high. "I tried to back out, I tried to tell them but I couldn't. Happy? Poor little Draco Malfoy was a coward and I will always be guilty for my wrong." His echo resonated off the trees and back to them.

"I'll never forgive myself and the only way I can lessen the feeling is to atone my actions by helping you. And… and I'm sorry. Sorry for helping them and for making your life so damned miserable." He said the last few words in a whisper that was hardly audible.

Hermione remembered all the times he had hurt her and hearing his apology sent a wave of emotion through her. The knot at the base of her throat was growing and she tried to fight the tears that were coming. She knew it would send him reeling backwards but it was what she felt she needed to do. Her arms wrapped around his neck and she embraced him like she never thought she could. He stiffened and for a second seemed as if he was going to push her away, that is until she started sobbing.

Draco stared at the top of her head before enclosing his arms around her, returning the embrace. A look of relief swept over his face and his body relaxed against hers. Hermione felt that all the frustrations, all her worries and her anxiety dissolved as she cried into his chest. Her anger lessened and all of those times she bottled up her emotions and hurt were all cleared as she hell on to him. It was almost as if her emotions had taken over, something that she hardly ever did or thought of doing.

"Sorry," she said, wiping her eyes. "You probably think I'm a moron for this."

"Not at all, I think I know how it feels like to need a shoulder to cry on." He kept his arms around her and looked as if he, too, found comfort in the embrace.

"I think your father would die if he saw us like this." She pulled back and looked into his face. He gave her a weak smile and shrugged his shoulders. Hermione felt her heart growing warmer and his hold on her only fed the heat.

"To tell you the truth, I really don't care. I hate to say it Hermione Granger, but you've grown on me like fungus on a tree."

She laughed and replied with, "Well Draco Malfoy, you've also grown on me. More than I'd like to admit, actually." Hermione immediately felt as if her comment gave a little too much insight into her feelings.

"Well, I'm glad we had this little exchange of _emotions_ but I think we better get you to that mirror now."

* * *

"You're lost." Hermione sat on a fallen tree trunk and massaged her legs.

"How can I be lost, I'm following my wand."

"We've been in the forest for god knows how long and it's already nightfall, we're lost." She held her wand up for more light and found that remaining in the forest would be quite frightening.

"Point your wand then," Draco sat next to her and as he showed her where his was pointing she pointed hers, still emitting light, and had it pointing the same way.

"You broke it," she said, defeated.

He suddenly stretched out and became more alert. "We should keep moving."

"Yes, you should." They jumped but realized that it was the same echoing voice that they both knew. It echoed eerily as it had done so before. Then slowly, a purple coat appeared in midair followed by its wide, grinning smile and last, the round eyes of the Cheshire Cat.

"Why do you say that?" Hermione had made her wand brighter so she could see it better.

"Well," it began, turning itself over. "There are wanted posters aaaalllll over the city and with a large bounty on your head. Lots of riches, indeed."

"Have you led them here?" Draco had spoken and looked ready to take his wand out.

"Of course not…but _everyone_ is talking about the _magic _you displayed earlier today. These things don't stay under wraps for long, you know." It flew over to Hermione, then sat lazily on her lap. He was quite heavy for a being that could disappear into thin air.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"That the price on your heads has tripled since you left the city, that's what I mean. The Queen of the vascular organ plans to experiment your _abilities _for the advancement of the city, but we all know that all she wants is a weapon." It had turned on its back, exposing its belly to them.

"Why are you telling us this?" Draco was eyeing the cat suspiciously.

"Well, since I owed the Caterpillar a favor, he sent me to warn you that the Queen has the right to send her henchmen past the border and also to tell you that what you gave him worked _splendidly_. He also sends his love."

"What are we supposed to do, stay hidden until she calls off the search?" Hermione couldn't help but rub its belly in the process.

"No, but you could certainly try. That or try to blend with the crowd." It shifted to its side so she could scratch it.

"Disguise ourselves?"'

"Yes, and quickly, they're only a couple of hours away from you." With that, it slowly disappeared, stripe by stripe.

"Are we headed the right way?" Malfoy asked him hurriedly.

The grin widened and said in a sing-song voice, "Only if you head there faster." Then it vanished completely.

Draco got up, as did she and they both climbed on the horse and took off. Hermione held her wand in front of them to illuminate their path. Three hours or so later they were still at the same pace and were finally seeing signs that the forest was ending. They were tired and Draco would often rub his eyes to keep them open. A small village shined through the night and they let out a sigh of relief. The last building on the right was a bed and breakfast and Draco tied the horse next to a barrel of water reserved for horses, then, approached the door and entered.

The man at the counter was thin and had a horrible come over. He was reading a magazine that was about knitting and stared at it as if he were mad at it.

"Quite late, isn't it?" he said, not taking his eyes off of his magazine.

"Do you have any rooms?" Draco completely ignored his comment.

The man with the come over sighed and handed them a key. "One."

"Right, what's the charge?"

"What do you have to offer?"

They looked at each other. "Currency." Malfoy responded.

"No. I'd much prefer hair. Got a horse?"

"Yes."

"I'll take it from his mane. Room number 8."

They made their way sleepily up the staircase to the room and frowned upon entering it. It was a small room with a window to the right, a bathroom to the left and one, queen-sized bed.

"One bed." He said. "I'll just take the chair."

Hermione saw the chair next to the bed, which was as uncomfortable as hugging a feral cat; it wasn't even a lounge or armchair.

"I'll take the left side of the bed."

"Are you-"

"Just take it." She was craving her sleep and felt like toppling over. She took her boots off and unbuttoned a few of the buttons at her collar, then lay herself down. Draco hesitated before she put a pillow between them.

"Just to warn you, I sleep like a rock. I probably won't even feel you throughout the…night." Hermione already had her eyes closed and was drifting to sleep. Draco took off his coat, boots then his vest and loosened his suspenders. He lay by her cautiously and tried to keep to the edge as much as possible. He looked over at her sleeping form for a moment before turning over and succumbing to his own exhaustion.

**A/N**: I had a little writer's block so it's quite difficult for me to like what I'm writing, hope it doesn't disappoint too much. : } Anyways, I'm glad to see these two getting cozy *wink, wink*.


	8. The Missing Hatter

**Author's note: Sorry for abandoning this story but I am back and I am ready to continue what I started. **

**Disclaimer: Characters belong to their rightful creators along with some plots that are mentioned.**

The Missing Hatter 

The March Hare had had a horrible life. Not only had his mother abandoned him as an infant but he had the grave misfortune of being raised amongst the vile and loathsome falcons. They were a terrible lot, always picking on him (quite literally) and insulting him for his "manlike" tendencies. It was not his fault that he enjoyed the finesse and grandeur of tea parties or that he was obsessed with routine. So when the time came to ring the Hatter's doorbell at exactly eight o'clock, he expected this day to be like the rest; calm, enjoyable and free of any complications. He casually picked up the nearest jar to him, full of beads of some sort, and examined it, patiently waiting for the Hatter to open his door.

To the Hare, the Hatter was a fine but curious fellow. He was always so witty and sarcastic and not to mention, a fine entertainer. He had a tendency to hide from view, as if afraid of the Hare, and would always take a few moments to open his door. After waiting more than usual for the Hatter to appear, the March Hare rang the doorbell, first once, then twice and then nonstop. His whiskers flew into a frenzy and his chest pumped in and out as his breathing became more erratic. He beat the door and kicked at it, sending a few carefully balanced jars to the floor, the contents dispersing throughout the porch floor.

"HATTER!" he yelled, pulling at the doorknob. He ran to the window and peered in. It was dark and silent, but the light reflected on what seemed to be countless broken shards of glass or mirror. He grabbed his heart (at least where he thought it was) and felt as his eyes widened into the size of saucers. He raced to the back porch and saw that the tables had not been cleaned.

"Hatter always cleans," he whined, on the verge of tears. The March Hare looked towards the small stable where the Hatter kept the horse, only to see that it, too, was empty. He never quite liked that horse but its absence sent a chilling feeling down his spine. From there he proceeded to the shop, all while running at a brisk pace. His heart was racing and as he tried to turn the doorknob, it sank completely when it was locked as well. "NO, no, no, no, NO!" He cradled himself into the fetal position and rocked back and forth.

"It was that _girl_! I told the Hatter, I did, but he wouldn't listen…she kidnapped him, I know it!"

The Dormouse, which had lain very quietly in March's breast pocket, was becoming more and more annoyed. He rolled his eyes (if dormice could do such a thing) and bit hard to where he thought the Hare's skin was. His aim was confirmed when the Hare let out a loud yelp. Then, he felt himself being pulled up by the spare skin on his neck.

"What was that for? Can't you see that Hatter is _missing?_"

The Dormouse shook his head exasperatedly and pointed to the cobble path in front of them.

"What… stones? I don't need stones at this time, you idiot! I need to know where the Hatter is!"

It pointed to the path again and then to its nose.

"I am not nosy…I just need to ask him a few questions!"  
The Dormouse shook his head and sighed deeply. Then he pointed to the path again, and to his nose, pointing it up and sniffing the air to further his explanation.

"What? You mean track the Hatter?" The Dormouse nodded vigorously and pointed once more to the path.

"I can't, you know I haven't left the area in more than fifty years! Why-I'd probably get lost or -or worse-"

The little Dormouse wriggled free of the March Hare's grip and set off, stopping right in front of the Hare, as if waiting for him. The Hare looked deeply at the path and then gazed at the land around them. He took a deep breath and stood with a strength that once seemed lost to him.

"Fine, but you're getting lunch."

To be continued…

**Just a little tangent I wanted to try...and now back to our beloved protagonists...**


	9. Chapter 8

**Author's note: Yes this story is back and I just want to apologize to those who did read it for my very big break but as it always happens, life decides what we do. So please, feel free to leave any and all questions, concerns, and complaints and if there happens to be any reviews along the way, leave those too.**

**Disclaimer: Characters and certain plots belong to their creators and not one of those creators happens to be me.**

_The White Rabbit put on his spectacles. "Where shall I begin, please your Majesty?" he asked._  
_"Begin at the beginning," the King said gravely, "and go on till you come to the end: then stop."_

_Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Chapter 12_

Hermione had always been a heavy sleeper. Of course, her sleeping habits were exact and God forbid she was ever late to class, which she could proudly say she never really was. There were a few times, two at the most, that she was late but those could be blamed on Harry or Ron, never to waking late. She knew if she would not get enough sleep she would certainly have a foul mood throughout the day, so it was only obvious that she took the most advantage of her sleep.

With the events of the past days, however, her dreams seemed filled with strange shapes and figures that smiled widely at her. In one instance, she dreamt that she fell and fell without landing. Then, as with most people, she dreamt of running at a snail's pace without advancing in the least bit. Her eyes suddenly opened and it felt as if she had been awake throughout the whole night. She reflected for a minute or two and the events from the previous days rushed back to her.

Hermione sat up quickly and felt her head spin round and round. She expected to see Malfoy's sleeping form next to her but surveyed the room when she felt that he was not next to her. Her eyes adjusted and it was only then that she realized that the room was in complete darkness. Her hands felt around for her wand and accidentally knocked over what sounded like a lamp, sending it breaking into many pieces.

"LUMOS!" It had been Draco who had yelled the incantation, sending light throughout the whole room. His eyes were red with sleep and he had his wand pointed straight at her. It seemed as if he had been sleeping on the floor, opposite from her side of the bed.

"It's just me…" she managed to whisper, noticing that he was shirtless. He lowered his wand and rubbed his eyes. "What were you doing on the floor?"

"Well…I _was _sleeping until you woke me up." He stretched, causing her to blush slightly.

"What, was the bed not hard enough?" She turned and picked up her own wand from the nightstand and put the lamp back to its former self.

"No, not to my liking." He sat hunched over on the edge of the bed, back turned towards her. "What woke you?"

"That dream were you're running very slowly, not getting to where you want to." She sat on the chair next to the bed, rubbing her now aching neck. It seemed as if he had realized he had been shirtless the entire time and raced to place his shirt back on.

"Never had it."

"Right…must be a muggle thing then." She played with the pocket of her dress and wished she could go back to sleep. Malfoy stared at a certain space in the wall that seemed as interesting as her pocket and both sat in silence for some time.

"I normally have the one where I can't apparate. That or my broom won't budge." Draco continued to stare at the wall and ran a hand through his hair.

"What time is it?" She stretched out and approached the window. It was still very dark outside and the window fogged as her breath hit the glass.

"I'd say about three in the morning."

"We didn't sleep at all."

"Well, now that we're up, I think the most logical thing would be to continue. I'm sure the henchmen don't sleep at all." He put his boots on and then his coat. Hermione followed and placed her own discarded shoes on, stretching as much as possible throughout the entire process.

Once they were ready, they descended the stairs and found that the man that was at the front desk was still there, with his magazine covering half of his face. They could still see his eyes and the top of his head, now covered in a long mane of what was most presumably horse hair. Hermione let out a small laugh, which she quickly suppressed with a forced cough. The solemn man just eyed them from under his magazine and watched as they exited into the cold of the night.

Hermione took a sharp intake of breath as the piercing cold struck her face. It had been warm and pleasant inside and she knew the temperature would be cool outside but never freezing. She wrapped her arms around herself and tucked them under each other. Draco surveyed his horse and frowned when he saw its misshaped mane.

"Look at this…"he said, a cloud of icy smoke escaping his mouth. "He practically ripped it off."

The little village was obscured with a thick fog that made it hard for them to remember where they had entered it from. Draco took a lantern from the horse's saddle and lit it with a flick of his wand.

"We were coming in from the right of the building…we should be heading straight then." Hermione was quite sure of herself and looked straight ahead, trying to find a light of any sort through the dense fog.

Draco looked at her and then to where she was proposing for them to go. He looked up, surveying the sky, as if to pinpoint their location by the stars, only to have the fog obscure this view as well.

"Might as well try." He urged the horse forward, continuing on foot. Hermione followed, the whole while trying to stay as close as possible to him as she could. There was a certain eeriness to the mist, something almost out of those horror movies she had always thought of as foolish. The only sounds she could hear where the horse's steps and the occasional neigh.

Draco glanced at Hermione and then said, "I hear that banshees usually appear with fog."

"Yes, I'm quite sure that they must have also been transported into this alternate reality to be in this wonderful location just for us."

"You never know for sure what there is here. Didn't you hear about that banshee that appeared with the fog in Iceland, mind you? Iceland was free of banshees. It was all over the news a few years ago."

"Yes, well, the Quibbler does not constitute as news…now, did you ever hear about that one story... no, it was in the muggle news, I doubt you did." She fell silent and knew she had intrigued him when he looked at her after several minutes.

"What was the story about?"

Hermione hesitated and then continued. "Well, it was in the muggle news…I don't think you'd be very interested." She crossed her arms and kept searching for some form of light.

"I'm not interested but if you have to absolutely speak your mind then I suggest you do." He raised the lantern and pointed it to the left.

"Well, a boy and girl were heading home after dinner in their car, you know what a car is-"

"Yes, I know what a car is."

"And from what I remember, they were low in gas and the fog was so intense they had to stop. The boy steps out and says-"

"Why does the male have this responsibility to always venture out to where there could be danger?"

"You're telling me that if you were with your loved one, which I doubt you'll ever love, you would hesitate at an opportunity to show how strong and brave you can be?"

Draco's eyes searched the mist and he looked as if he were analyzing the question. "I guess it depends on the person, doesn't it?"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Anyways, he steps out of the car and says 'I'll go look for a refilling station, wait here and keep the lights on.' Of course, the girl being the normal teenage idiot, fell asleep and woke to the radio blasting at a level where the whole of London could hear. When the radio announcer finally mentions the time, she realized that two hours had passed."

A twig snapped to their far right and they were forced to pause. Draco pointed the lamp towards the noise, only to have whatever may have been there be obscured by the thick fog. The horse whinnied, startling them. Hermione pushed her hand into her pocket and tightened her grip on her wand. Malfoy continued walking, looking at her as if to continue.

"She started to panic and honked the horn a few times to see if anyone could actually hear her. A few moments passed and a patrol car stops to see if they could assist her. As she gets out of the car to tell them her story, the patrol man flashes the light to the back seat only to see his sleeping form covered by a blanket-"

"He was there the whole time? Why would that make the news?"  
"Can't you listen and be quiet for more than a minute? As I was saying, they saw his sleeping form covered by a blanket and the girl, filled with relief, takes the blanket and throws it aside. She screamed in horror as she realized that his body was there but his head had been completely axed off."

He kept quite for a few moments. "What happened to her?"

"Well, they gave her homicide and charged her with circumstantial evidence but of course, she went insane and was taken to an asylum."

"So you think she did it?"

"Well, two hours would have given her enough time to do it and hide the weapon, besides, maybe she was the one that had used all the gas by driving from the murder scene to where the patrol men had caught her. She had fed the cock and bull story to the police but any logical mind could see right through it."

"Were they muggles?"

"From what I know yes. Wizards and witches seem to make their murders more elaborate than that of muggles."

"I'm hoping that you just find murders interesting and aren't making a confession of some awful habit of yours."

"Well, when I was younger I secretly wished I could grow to be a detective and solve murders and crimes."

"When I was little I was too busy figuring out what toys I'd be destroying, not what I would become. Where did you find all that time to figure out something like that?"

"I would always read these books that had this detective and he would always solve these wonderful crimes- well, not if they were murders, and I…I'm boring you, aren't I?"

"No, not at all. It's not everyday where you can get insight into the mind of a bossy know it all."

"I don't know it all. If I knew it all, I'd know just how many numbers there really are or…or how many stars there are. I just work hard. Work, work, work. Sounds exciting, doesn't it?"

"Not the working part, I usually leave that to others-"

Malfoy was interrupted as a sudden rustling of leaves that made them jump and he frantically pointed the lamp to as many places as he could.

"Point it over there!" Hermione pushed his hand to their left, lighting a spot in which a figure had just stood in. She dug her nails into his arm and he instinctively pushed her behind him. She recovered her spot by pushing him aside, her wand leveled to a position were she was certain she would have perfect aim. While this figure moved throughout the leaves another could be heard in the opposite direction.

"LUMOS!" Her hand shook slightly as she shouted the incantation, however, the light helped in no such way to see past the fog. A sudden laugh filled the air that made Hermione and Draco move slightly closer to each other. The laughter doubled and they searched endlessly for the source. Hermione gasped as a hard object collided with the back of her head and her world faded to black as she felt herself falling. The last thing she remembered was Draco yelling her name and catching her as she fell.


	10. Chapter 9

**Author's Note: Thanks to all who took the time to read and review. To answer some questions, I did not plan on any other characters from the books showing up in wonderland but I will definitely consider it now that it has been mentioned. I really love hearing your guys' ideas. Reviews are always welcome :) Now, brace yourself for at least six impossible thoughts, one very unlikely situation, and a pair of twins that should never have been allowed to tell such tall tales. **

_"Tut, tut, child!" said the Duchess. "Everything's got a moral, if only you can find it."__  
-____Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Chapter 9_

Hermione squinted at the bright light glaring in front of her. It felt as though her world was in slow motion and every movement was becoming just a little faster than the last. She was forced to cast her gaze downwards as the light changed to a dizzying blue tone.

The bile threatening to rise was nothing in comparison to the splitting headache inhibiting her from putting two thoughts together.

"Keep calm, old girl," she unknowingly said to herself, snapping to her right as she heard the rather loud snort.

"You do that." It was Draco's characteristic drawl that had spoken.

"What happened?" She went to feel the tender spot at the back of her head and found no response from any of her limbs. Her eyes instinctively widened and she forced both her body and her senses into composure. "I can't move!"

"Yes, well, neither can I. See, our _predicament _doesn't allow for much movement," Draco replied condescendingly.

It was then that Hermione spotted the demented strings tying her arms far above her head and disappearing up into the rather large ceiling. She turned to Draco who was just as bound as she was. Her brow creased as she realized what he was dressed in.

"What in Merlin's world are you _wearing_?" His vestment had gone from mismatched to completely and utterly regal. It was as if he were a prince that had escaped from a fairytale book, a rather upset prince to be exact.

"I should ask you the same, _cream puff_," he rebuffed quite haughtily.

Hermione was taken aback at his nickname for her, however, his sarcastic tone led her to look down at her own wardrobe. She gasped and suddenly realized why he had used the term.

Hermione Jean Granger was currently wearing the most obnoxiously pretty dress that had come into existence. The cream material was literally drowning her whole frame and glittered with pretty golden swirls that caught the light only to rebound into a million little lights that made a makeshift starry night on the floor. The sleeves were atrociously missing which left her arms covered in only the elbow length gloves. Unfortunately, for the rather modest Hermione, who never accentuated her shoulders or cleavage by carelessly exposing them, the cut of the dress squeezed her in ways she did not think were possible for her ordinary frame.

"Where are we?" she growled. The feeling of having no control over any of her limbs was causing her great anxiety and she was ready to duel with the persons who had done this to them.

As soon as she had asked the question, the blue light disappeared to be replaced with a multitude of lights slowly lighting a very large theater in front of them into view. A sea of seats all red and lined in unison waiting to be filled with the viewer of a play was the first thing that had become recognizable. It soon dawned on her that they were on a stage tied up to the ceiling like marionettes.

"You have got to be kidding me..." Hermione sighed , wishing she were a thousand miles away and in her room fast asleep and only dreaming of a mad world.

"No, we do not kid around here." The voice belonged to a girl seated at the very front row. She was younger than Hermione but not at all a child.

"No, we most certainly do not." It was an exact replica of the previous girl that had spoken sitting right by the first. The girls were twins. Exact copies of each other that wore the same sharp haircut and the same black hair that clashed drastically with their pale skin. They wore the same sailor inspired dress which puffed out at the sleeves and skirt, however, their voices confirmed that they were at least fourteen or fifteen. Both girls smiled wickedly at Hermione and Draco causing the pair to send knowing signals of escape to each other.

"Oh that won't work-"one started.

"It never does." It was unclear as to which voice belonged to which twin but it did not matter: they both had a sinister tone of voice that sent chills throughout Hermione's body.

"You see, those strings attached to your hands will prevent you from committing such a stupid act when all you have to do is provide us with a little _favor _in return for both your freedom and belongings."

"And by belongings we mean the pair of sticks and your clothes." The girls laughed like common schoolgirls.

"You can't do this!" Hermione yelled, her bossy voice inspiring a roll of the eyes from Draco.

"Oh but we can and we already have, to _all_ individuals stupid enough to come into our part of the woods." She wished that the twins were porcelain dolls so that they may smash into many pieces as they hit the floor.

"A long time ago we would just recite stories to the travelers in the woods," said the twin on the right. "However, we found that they didn't have an appreciation for our stories, so, we decided to recreate our stories with their help and present them to those willing to show gratitude for our work."

"And what does that mean?" It was about time that someone not waste Hermione's precious time and right now seemed good enough.

"They want us to act out one of their stories," Draco said exasperatedly.

"Correct," they said in unison.

"What? No, I don't have time for-"

"We have to make time because frankly, I can't feel my hands anymore."

"Listen to your partner, it will be a simple skit for the Duchess. Of course, it must be perfect but that is beside the point." The twin on the left pointed a control of some sort their way and the once taught strings went limp allowing for movement.

"We might even point you in the right direction, one that will lead you to where you so long to go." Hermione felt her arms drop to her sides and instead of running off the stage she stood rooted to the floor and turned to Draco who was now massaging his numb hands. He looked at her and grimaced.

"I don't have time for this..." she whispered.

"It's unfortunate that I left my scissors in my other coat pocket." Draco tugged on the string tied to his left hand.

"Oh sweetie, scissors wouldn't even help you off the stage much less to your freedom."

Hermione paused and continued with trepidation. "Just one skit? And you give us your word that we will be set free with our belongings?"

"Of course, you will be set free with your belongings after both of you perform without completely and utterly ruining our story."

She looked to Draco who rolled his eyes and was of no help in making the decision.

"Merlin help us," Hermione said, exhaustion in her voice. "Fine."

"They are tricking us," Draco angrily whispered into her ear.

"Yes well, you should have pointed that out before!" she replied angrily, blaming him with her stare.

"STOP! There are no sweet nothings whispered during this scene! Start all over!" the twin on the left yelled.

Draco rolled his eyes and exhaled deeply. They returned to their starting positions on the stage and he gave Hermione a last accusatory look before they once again started the scene. She turned her back to him and prepared for the silly lines.

"Oh fair and beautiful sir, how thy perfect self makes my heart flutter." Hermione felt stupid at the lines and turned towards Draco. "Why, the moon itself," she pointed to a makeshift full moon, "glows not as much as the hair atop your head. The stars compare not to the sparkle of your eyes nor do they take my attention away from your beautiful self." She continued by wrapping her hands around his neck, a task made almost impossible by the sheer size of her gown.  
"Maiden," he stated sternly, "my heart belongs to that image there-" he carefully removed her arms and pointed to a small makeshift pond.

"Image?" she said, feigning resentment. "Can an image kiss like I do or hold you like I do? What must I do to earn your love?" Hermione recalled the myth of Narcissus and inwardly rolled her eyes as she figured it went well with Draco's personality. As she dropped to her knees, something she would implore to him never to discuss to another living soul, she continued. "Shall I continue with compliments until there are none to give?"

"No maiden, I only love myself," he turned his back to her and made towards the small pond. "Nothing you ever say will distract me from gazing upon myself and...and..."

"And I can never look upon you and feel what I feel upon seeing myself." The twins recited together, looking intently at Draco.

"Right." He shifted uncomfortably as they stared at him. Hermione felt as her legs began to go numb under her gown. "Just say the damned line," she said through gritted teeth.

"And I can _never_ look upon you and feel what I feel upon seeing myself."

"And if I devote my entire being to your cause, I plead with you Narcissus, if I go another moment without your love then I will surely be as if I were dead." She felt as if she put a little too much emotion into that last line.

"Then die you must for I shall be unable to procure those feelings for you. I will never love you." He stared intently at the nonexistent reflection in the pond. "You must live without my love, forget that you ever met me Hermi- Echo." The slip of the tongue went unnoticed by the twins but not to Hermione.

"BRAVO!" The twins stood and clapped in unison. It was the one of the few times they showed a positive emotion and even then it came unnaturally. "Now do it again and this time I want _you_ to do a much better job. " Hermione's brow furrowed as the twin on the right pointed to her. She recalled having recited her lines perfectly unlike Draco who was now, with much difficulty because of the massive gown, trying to help her back on her feet.

"Remember, the Duchess is out there and if you mess up, you might as well prepare for your life as a rather dull thespian," one twin drawled and indicated toward Hermione. They had come up on the stage and were preparing to introduce them but had still found the time to try to intimidate her. The twins gave them one last sinister look before going through the closed curtains to introduce the skit to an audience Hermione and Draco had yet to meet. Hermione saw this as another challenge but that did not change the fact that she felt an amazing sense of stage fright while dressed as the biggest cream puff she had ever seen which only incited her feeling of desperation.

"Listen, they won't let us go," Draco whispered, leaving his spot on the stage to be at her side,"Let's just make a run for it now."

"Yes, let's run and be automatically pulled back by the strings." She held up both her hands and reminded him of them.

The lights from the makeshift stars and moon on the fake background formed strange white patterns on both their skins. He rubbed his temples and then took both her tethered hands in his own.

"Listen, I don't know where the hell we are and we might as well call their bluff now. I know I am not getting out of here with just pleasing those twins. " He tried undoing the strings around her hands but it was as if they were made of magic with no beginning or end to the material.

"Draco, we are stuck here anyways I see no point in trying."

He sighed and stepped even closer to whisper quickly as the twins' introduction was close to an end.

"Well I don't want to find out. I promised I'd try my hardest to get you home and not escaping now would not help in me keeping that promise." He had been pleading with her for longer than he had intended, all the while fumbling with the impossible string and his earnest words kept them from realizing the curtains were being pulled open. They were frozen in place as the spotlight focused on the two and the realization dawned on them that they had already made the mistake of looking like lovers and not like the characters given to them. Hermione sighed defeatedly and looked up to him sadly.

The bright light once again blinded them and paralyzed them far more than the strings had. An eternity seemed to pass with them not knowing what to do before an unknown person yelled at them, "Is this a love story? Oh how I _love _love stories! You twins never told me you do love stories! Is there a happy ending?" It was the voice of an older woman, perhaps in her fifties or sixties.

"Ah, why yes, it is," one of them said uncertainly, "we had initially planned on the previous skit mentioned but it seems that we have found exactly what _pleases _you. They are forbidden lovers and...and they are preparing to _escape._"

Both Draco and Hermione would have been fools if they had missed the hints in the twin's voice. She had never even thought of the idea of improvising and he looked to her as if searching for some sort of idea.

She realized her hands were still in his and she gripped his tighter, staring at them as she spoke the first thing that came to mind.

"Your father would kill us if he knew what we were doing." His eyes grew bigger but he could not poke fun at the honest words.

"I would never let him harm you." Hermione brought up her gaze to meet his and searched for profound words.

"They will never let us be. You are betrothed to another and I cannot hurt her by being the cause of you breaking your promise of marriage."

He hesitated and then found an idea to continue with. "She will find another. Come away with me, we will travel the world, be free from our social status, and live amongst those that care not for our past lives. I will be happy as long as I am by your side and if you love me as much as I do you." He sounded as if he had run out of breath for his last line.

"I have only known you for no more than a month sir, and yet you speak as though love in of itself will suffice in keeping us together. We cannot simply live on love alone-"

"I would risk everything for you and all I ask is that you simply trust me," he placed their hands higher between them and continued, "if you will have me then I will devote my whole being for your sake. Just say the word and I will leave all my riches, all my comforts, behind me and work for your own comfort. It will never amount to the comfort you have now but I promise to serve only you, love only you, and devote myself to you."

Hermione withdrew her hands from his and turned her back to him. "We must not confuse infatuation for love, sir."

"I see that perhaps my feelings cannot be reciprocated-"

"No," she turned to face him again and cautiously placed a hand on his cheek. "I loved you the moment we danced and you forgave me for stepping on your toes, it's just that-" a moment passed and although the suspense was building for the audience, Hermione was at a loss for words. "I am afraid."

"Afraid that I do not really love you and that I will only hurt you, leave you stranded, leave you for another? I cannot even fathom the idea of doing such a thing but I, too, am afraid of such things-"

"I would never-"

"Yes, I know, and that is why I am willing to risk it. However, you do not trust in me as I do in you."

"It's all so sudden. I...I-"

"I will not force you into doing something that you do not wish to do. But, if you do want to, do not keep us from being with each other out of fear." He spoke a bit more passionately than she was speaking and she figured it was his competitive side taking over. She felt as his hand stroked her hair.

"I never knew I could love someone as I do you...I will go with you and love you until my dying breath." It was a good way to end a rather cheesy and unplanned act. It was not, however, enough as she heard one twin hiss _"kiss"_ twice. The idea of kissing Draco for the second time in this world only seemed logical as they were all bloody mad here. _Well, I have done it before so that would be two kisses, one partial night sleeping in the same bed, him making me tea, riding on the same horse as he, quite a few embraces and-_

The twins cleared their throats loudly and Hermione instinctively moved forward and met him halfway. It began as a light and soft kiss. He smelled of new parchment and tasted like strong tea, something that reminded her dearly of her times spent at Hogwarts. She felt her knees go weak as he placed his hand on her neck, which she suddenly noticed was slightly calloused, most likely from the hats he had created by hand, but it only made her skin prickle and grow hot at his touch. She placed her hands on his chest and felt as his heart beat just as quickly as hers did. It was something they both reassured to themselves they didn't want but to the audience, they were the nameless forbidden lovers who had just decided on a lifelong adventure to be carried out together.

"EXCELLENT! Oh MAGNIFICENT!" The words were spoken by the Duchess and she rose from her seat to clap. They broke apart and held each others' gaze intently, both gasping and shaking in each others' arms. They fumbled a little when two strings had tangled with

Their eyes adjusted as the stage lights were dimmed and the theater lights illuminated the audience. There stood the Duchess, clad in regal attire and a ridiculous hairdo that resembled a bird's nest. She approached the stage and looked lovingly at Hermione and Draco. They reluctantly let their arms fall to their side and slightly moved away from each other. She brushed the front of her dress off and straightened her back.

"We want to be let go now and for out things to be returned to us." She spoke with no insecurity in her voice. Her hands were held out as if expecting the twins to cut the strings right then and there.

"Our agreement," one drawled, "was for _you _to be let go. _He_ stays." Hermione realized what she had agreed to and mentally scolded herself for not realizing her mistake earlier. She turned to Malfoy who gave her a look that reassured her they could not hold him for too long.

"Nonsense, nonsense, nonsense," the Duchess repeated. "Give them their belongings and let them go!" The twins looked from her to each other and then back again. "Yes, you heard me. You will let this couple go and live their adventure."

"But, Madam, they are nothing but a pair of unskilled act-"

"YOU WILL NOT BREAK THE ILLUSION!" The twins cowered as the Duchess let out a screeching tone of voice. She composed herself and continued. "Now, return their things to them."

The twin on the left furiously took out the wands and clothes from under her seat and held the items out for them to take. Hermione quickly reached for them and stepped back as though they might be forced to return them. "And I will aid them on their journey." A loving smile spread on the face of the older woman which was, now that they could see her clearly, scarred from burns. "Cut them down, twins!"


End file.
